VARIETY TESTS OF CORN FOR 1913 



By G. M. Gakken. Assistant in Cereal Investigations. 



Ilercwitli is submitted the tables of the results of the annual tests of 

 varieties of corn on the different Test Farms. This year there were six 

 tests made, one each on the Buncombe Farm, the Iredell Farm, the 

 Central Station at Raleigh, the farm of the Tobacco Station at Oxford, 

 the Edgecombe Farm, and on land adjoining the black land farm at 

 Winona. A severe storm September 3d so injured the crop at Winona 

 that the results were lost altogether. Owing to an accident only a few 

 of the varieties at the Oxford Station Avere saved and only partial data 

 on these were possible. The weights of the cobs from the bushels of 

 shelled corn were lost and this almost ruined the entire results. The 

 yields of bushels of shelled corn per acre, upon which the rating of 

 the varieties are based, were found by dividing the pounds of ears per 

 acre by 70, the standard commercial number of pounds of ears of dry 

 corn required to shell one bushel, instead of the actual number of 

 pounds, found by weighing the corn when harvested, as was used in all 

 the other tables. This gives, therefore, only an approximation instead 

 of actual yields. 



The tables in form are the same as those published in previous issu^g': 

 of the Corn Bulletin. They are, therefore, by this time fairly intelli- 

 gible to all interested readers. 



Under given conditions the largest yield of corn depends upon three 

 things : the number of stalks on the land, the number of ears on the 

 stalks, and the size and shape of the ears. By size and shape of ears is 

 meant their shelling capacity, not mere bulk. Any attempt to supply 

 artificially either one of these elements when defective or lacking alto- 

 gether, destroys field conditions, under which all such tests have to be 

 conducted to be of practical value. The only one of these elements that 

 any reasonable attempt can be made to supply when lacking is that ©I. 

 stand. Perfect stands are almost unknown. Sometimes the stand oi 

 one variety is almost perfect ; another along side of it very poor. Obvi- 

 ously it is very difficult to make a fair comparison of yields with such 

 unequal stands. An effort has been made in the fourth column under 

 head of "Yields Per Acre" to overcome this difficulty. Here the yields 

 per acre have been calculated on the basis of a perfect stand. It is a 

 mere calculation but gives a fair working idea of the actual differences 

 in yields among the varieties. At the Buncombe Farm the stand was 

 made perfect by supplying the missing stalks from another part of the 

 / plat. Obviously this method takes no note of whether the supplied 

 stalks had the average number of ears or whether the ears were the 

 average size. ISJ'either does it take note of the average per cent of barren 



