Kill l.ocK: STUDIES IN PLANT BUKKDING 



above made very good growth at almost any time of year, and 

 ripened their fruit after between four and five mouths from 

 the time of sowing. Some of the smaller American kinds. 

 especially sugar and pop corns, were less suited to the climate 

 and yielded scarcely any crop. 



The growth and strength of maize plants appeared to depend 

 to a quite remarkable extent upon the amount of nutriment 

 available. This may best be illustrated by describing an ex- 

 periment which failed in its proper object owing to this very 

 propensity. The experiment in question was designed for the 

 purpose of showing whether nutrition had any effect upon the 

 development and intensity of the blue pigment appearing in 

 the aleurone layer of certain cross-bred plants For this pur- 

 pose an acre of ground was divided longitudinally into a series 

 of narrow plots intended for separate treatment with chemical 

 fertilizers, whilst the seed was sown in such a manner that each 

 row ran right across the series of plots and included grains of 

 one band only. 



The central part of the land in question consisted of an old 

 rice field which turned out to have become almost completely 

 exhausted so far as grain crops were concerned. At the ends, 

 the held rose towards higher ground where trees had been 



growing. 



At the centre of the held, plants, to which artificial non- 

 nitrogenous manures were applied after sowing, produced a 



few male flowers hut usually no female inflorescence, and their 

 average height was about J feet. At the ends of these plots 

 similar plants treated with the same fertilizers grew to an 

 average heighl <>f 6 feet and produced a tew poor cobs. The 

 only good cobs were produced on ;i c i pip ,,f ground running from 

 end to end of the plot which had heen treated six months 



earlier «eith a heavy dressing of cattle manure, and from which 



,ni\ crop of sugar corn had already been taken. Here the 



plants reached a height of from 7 '.» feet, a height which I am 



accustomed t" regard as normal for the particular varieties 



ii id undei 'jenei oils cull jv at i<>n. 



