BUREAU OP PLANT INDUSTRY. 293 



at series of points ranging from the southern to the northern por- 

 tions of the United States. This arrangement insures a broad 

 knowledge of the crop as affected by environment, and it also af- 

 fords opportunity for each investigator to give personal attention 

 to field experiments for almost the entire year. Better and more 

 profitable corn crops is the object of this work, which is conducted 

 with and for the farmer. By farmers who have observed the results 

 of these investigations the work is highly appreciated, and applica- 

 tions for conducting cooperative corn work are largely from locali- 

 ties where experiments have been conducted. In each locality in 

 which the best varieties and methods of breeding, seed preservation, 

 and culture have been investigated, the yield and farmers' profits 

 have been increased. 



SUMMARY OF THE YEAR'S WORK. 



The various lines of cooperative corn work have given both im- 

 mediate and far-reaching results of great value. The breeding work 

 and lines of special investigation conducted with breeders and 

 growers bring the bureau in closest touch with the farmer, while 

 the cooperative assistance rendered to corn improvers' associations, 

 boys' corn clubs, industrial schools, and farmers' clubs gives the re- 

 sults of the investigations a much wider application than would 

 otherwise be possible. 



Organization of corn-testing clubs. — By the organization of local 

 clubs to test the productiveness and adaptation of varieties, demon- 

 strations of much value are made possible at small cost. The 

 organization of such clubs and of boys' competitive corn-growing 

 clubs is strongly encouraged, and suggestions, record forms, and, 

 wherever practicable, seed of some varieties for such tests are fur- 

 nished. 



Cooperation with corn breeders. — Some of the high-yielding 

 strains of corn described in last year's report and which have been 

 improved by cooperative work with local corn breeders are now 

 being grown and disseminated by a sufficient number of breeders to 

 insure their distribution throughout districts to which thev are 

 adapted. In many localities in which it has not been possible for 

 the bureau to attend to breeding work, sufficient assistance has been 

 given local breeders to create an interest in corn improvement 

 throughout the community. 



Easy profits from seed preservation. — Last year extensive tests 

 conducted by cooperators and accurate tests by the bureau showed 

 that good seed preservation increased production to the extent of 5 

 bushels to the acre. The results are similar to those of othei- seasons 

 in other localities and demonstrate that as a savings bank the seed- 

 corn rack returns a large interest upon the investment. Tiiey also 

 show that the effects of temperature and moisture upon dormant 

 seed corn need further investigation. 



Crossbreeding corn. — The influence on yield of crossbreeding cer- 

 tain varieties is set forth in a recent bulletin, which covers the work 

 of two years in four States. Of many first-generation crosses made 

 and tested a few have proved much more productive than either 

 parent. 



