THE GROWING OF CORN. 107 



worth a snap, unless vro know the conditions. We are not 

 responsible lor that. I do not know how we can get them, 

 unless they are furnished by the Southborough Club, or by 

 the individual exliibiters. 



Dr. Wakefield. I understand some of the exliibiters 

 are here ; and, if they are willing to give us the facts, we are 

 willing to hear them. I do not think we have any claim 

 upon them, because it is not a Board matter, but somebody's 

 else. We want all the information we can get: and, if they 

 will give it to us, we shall be very thankful ; if they will 

 not, we cannot help it. 



Professor Stockbridge. I agree with Dr. Wakefield ; 

 but there is another matter which it seems to me should 

 come first, that is of the very greatest importance, and that 

 is this, — that the chairman of the committee should take 

 those premium samples to the platform, and exhibit them to 

 us, and tell us why those samples should have the premiums, 

 rather than the other samples which we see around the hall. 

 Then Dr. Wakefield's inquiries can be answered after- 

 wards. 



The Chaiemax. That seems to be the general wish of 

 the meeting, and I will asjk the chairman of that committee 

 to come forward and tell us about that matter. 



Mr. Slade. The committee, in awarding these premi- 

 ums, started with what they considered a perfect ideal ear 

 of corn. We selected such ears as we considered perfect. 

 The ideas of other gentlemen may differ from ours in that 

 regard. I do not say that they were perfect; but they 

 seemed to us to be perfect ideals of ears. 



Major Alvord. Will the gentleman go further, and give 

 us his points in judging corn? What makes a perfect ear? 



Mr. Slade. I will simply say that I have looked these 

 exhibits over pretty thoroughly, and I have not found what 

 I consider a perfect ear on exhibition ; but still there are 

 ears approximating the ideal perfect ear. The committee 

 agreed, I believe, unanimously, in their idea of a perfect ear. 

 It is an ear medium in size as regards the diameter; the 

 kernels are deep ; the cob is small at the butt ; and the ear 

 holds its bigness towards the point until very near the taper- 

 ing-off. It t^hould be capped over ; and the kernels should 

 hold their bigness towards the point, and at the butt run out 



