44 The Bulletin. 



varieties adapted to the east section. 



A study of the results of the variety tests conducted at the Edge- 

 combe Farm during the past seven years indicates that the varieties of 

 corn best suited to the fine loamy soils of the eastern and southwestern 

 parts of the State are Cocke's Prolific, Biggs' Seven Ear, Weekley's 

 Improved, Marlboro Prolific, Craig's Prolific Strawberry, Sanders' 

 Improved, and Holt's Strawberry, in about the order in which they 

 are arranged. Cocke's Prolific and Biggs' Seven Ear have proven 

 exceedingly promising varieties. All these varieties, except Holt's 

 Strawberry and Craig's Prolific Strawberry, are white and prolific, 

 and produce medium to small ears. 



VARIETIES ADAPTED TO PIEDMONT AND MOUNTAIN SECTIONS. 



It has been found from a testing of thirty-eight varieties during 

 the past four years at the Iredell and Experiment Station farms 

 located in different parts of the Piedmont section that Weekley's 

 Improved, Biggs' Seven Ear, Craig's Prolific White, Cocke's Pro- 

 lific, Sanders' Improved, Hickory King, Holt's Strawberry, Boone 

 County White, Beaming Yellow, and Reid's Yellow Dent, are the 

 largest yielders of shelled corn per acre of all the varieties thus far 

 tested. These, too, are all white varieties and are medium to medium- 

 late in maturity. The best of the varieties tested at the western farm 

 are almost the same as for the east, but the order of prolificacy is 

 somewhat different. 



CORRELATION OF CHARACTERS OF VARIETIES OF CORN. " 



One of the purposes of our detailed study of varieties of com, 

 exhibited in Tables I, II, III, and IV, is to ascertain what characters, 

 being mutually helpful and hence conducive of greater yields, may 

 be expected to be found combined in the same variety, and what ones, 

 being generally antagonistic, seldom or never occur in the same plant 

 or group of plants. This knowledge is of the most fundamental im- 

 portance in the proper production of not only corn but all other agri- 

 cultural crops, as one being familiar with these facts will be better 

 enabled to originate, improve or select varieties best adapted to dif- 

 ferent localities, soils and purposes. It is also felt that a more correct 

 interpretation can be placed on the results obtained in variety tests. 



In Table IV are brought together the average results of the work 

 of four years (1903-'04-'05-'06) at the Edgecombe and Iredell farms 

 separately. From a detailed study of this table, supplemented by 

 field observations, the following tentative inductions are made with 

 reference to varieties of corn studied when they are grown under con- 

 ditions of soil and climate as represented by these two farms. 



Antagonistic Characters. — (1) Earliness in maturity, other things 

 being equal, is not generally conducive to large yields of grain and 



