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STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



cob, ODe-tbird or one-half the distance from butt to tip, and lay 

 them on some flat surface, germs up in the same relative position 

 they occupied on the cob. 



6. Length and circumference. At the present time the standards 

 of the Michigan Corn Improvement Association are 9 inches for 

 length and 7 inches for circumference. The circumference is meas- 

 ured one-third the distance from butt to tip. 



Fig. 13. — A study of kernels. 



The upper three kernels are well proportioned and occupy completely the space between the cir- 

 cumference of the ear and the circumference of the cab. 



The upper right hand two kernels are poorly shaped and leave a lot of unoccupied space. 



The lower right hand two kernels show how the white rice popcorn kernels occupy the space. 



The lower two kernels are of the shoe-peg type. 



The left two kernels show the relative shape and position of flint kernels as compared with the 

 upper three dent kernels. 



It is thought by many that it would be better not to have definite 

 arbitrary standards for length and circumference, but that it would be 

 better to require a definite relation between length and circumference, 

 with a stated definite minimum length of each. 



7. Spaces, (a.) The outer spaces between rows should be small. 

 With very rare exceptions ears have even numbers of rows, and 

 the rows are in pairs. This distinctness of pairing of rows is 

 considered one of the evidences of good breeding. The space be- 

 tween the rows in the pairs is smaller than the spaces between 

 the pairs, (b). There should be no spaces between kernels as 

 they stand in the rows. In Fig. 15 (a) these spaces are seen 

 clearly between the lower one-fourth of the kernels. The spaces 

 do not appear in Fig. 15 (b). 



8. Per cent of grain to ear. The M. C. I. A. requires that 100 

 pounds of ears shall shell out 88 pounds of grain, and individual 

 ears shall shell in that proportion. 



