EXPERIMENT STATION BULH:T1NS. 269 



Below is given a table showing ideals sought by corn breeders in Illinois: 



Experiment 3. Select twelve of the best cars from your lot of seed corn. 



(a) Determine: 



1. Length of each ear and the average length of the twelve, 



2. Circumference of each ear and the average circumference of all. 



(Measure the circumference one-third the distance from the butt 

 to the tip.) 



3. Weight of corn and cob and the average weights of these and ex- 



press these relations in per cent. 



(b) Report these results. 



Question 15. Do you find any ears that equal these ideals in every respect? 

 Que.<!tion 16. Where do they fall most below these staiidards, if at all? 



Question 11. Compare the longer ears toith the shorter ones. 



(a) Which have the deeper kernels/ 



(b) Which have the larger proportion of corn to cob, by weight? 



PLACE IN THE KOTATIOX. 



When the corn crop forms part of a I'otatlon in which hay or pasture also 

 forms a part, it seems to be conceded that its place is upon sod, that is, following 

 hay or pasture. 



The crop does especially well in this place for the reason, as all will agree, that 

 there has been stored in the soil large quantities of food in the form of nitrogen 

 (from the air if It was clover hay or pasture) and other materials in the form 

 of extensive root gi'owth and perhaps applications of manure which, decaying, 

 become available for the growing corn crop. 



Question IS. Did it ever occur to yori that lohen you are pasturing a field, (1) 

 the only material you are removing from the field is a finished product in the form 

 of meat or milk, and (2) practically all the manures are returned to the field at 

 once and xcithout loss? 



Suggestion. The most successful farmers in Michigan are the ones who are sell- 

 ing from their farms only finished products and icho are practically retiirning their 

 manures without loss to their fields. 



It is probably not because of the accumulation of foods merely that the corn 

 crop does so well after hay or pasture, but because of the physical condition which 

 Nature through the combined action of roots, frosts and animal life in the soil, 

 has succeeded in establishing in the short period of one or two years. 



Suggestion. Nature is a great agriculturalist and ^cithal a great teacher, if 

 we xcould but learn from her. 



A STUDY IX EARS. 



In cut 1, 



(o) Is a very highly bred ear of Dent Corn from the Illinois Agricultural Col- 

 lege and is valued at $2.50. It is nearly a perfect ear. 



Question 19. Can you detect any defects as shown in the picture? 



