34 



The number of ears and nubbins that a variety pro- 

 duces is largely a character of that variety. In the five 

 years that Shaw was tested it never produced ears and 

 nubbins so small that it required over 110 to shell a 

 bushel. In the eleven years that Marlboro was tested 

 it never grew ears and nubbins so large that it did 

 not require 138 or more to shell a bushel. 



The wide range in size is seen when a comparison is 

 made between Shaw and Alexander Prolific, Shaw re- 

 quiring only 98 ears and nubbins to shell a bushel and 

 Alexander Prolific 167. 



The column of averages suggests the number of ears 

 and nubbins of a variety that a farmer must handle to 

 get a bushel of grain. It should be borne in mind that 

 the proportion of ears to nubbins of a variety in any 

 year depends, to some extent, upon seasons, fertilizer, 

 cultivation, etc. The average percentage of grain from 

 iinhiisked ears and nubbins, when practically all the 

 husk is pulled with the ear, varies from about 70 to 78 

 percent of the gross weight. The large ear varieties 

 have a lower percentage of grain than most prolific 

 varieties. 



The percentage of grain on husked ears and nubbins 

 averages about 82. Those varieties having over 85 per 

 cent are Mosby, Sanders, Hastings, Davis Poor Land, 

 Alexander Prolific, Whatley, Vardaman, and Hickory 

 King — all prolific. Those having less than 80 per cent 

 of grain are local White, I'nimproved Henry Grady, 

 Shaw, and Riley Favorite — all large car varieties. 



Relation of Type of Plant to Yield 



The type of plant seems closely related to the yield 

 of grain per acre. Classifying the varieties into groups 

 according to the number of ears per plant, it is ob- 

 served that the grouj) having a tendency to produce two 

 or more ears per plant leads in production, and that 

 it is closely followed by the medium prolific group and 

 less closely by the non-prolific group. 



The number of cars per plant of any variety depends 

 not only upon the natural inherent characteristics of 

 the variety, but to some extent iii)on the fertility of the 

 land, seasons, cultivation, and other factors. 



In the following classification those varieties 

 that make 145 or more ears and nubbins per hun- 

 dred plants are classified as prolific; tliose that make 

 125 or less ears and nubbins on a hundred plants are 



