14 The Bulletin. 



It has long been of special interest to know jnst how far apart in 

 the row to plant corn in order to make the largest yields. It is evi- 

 dent that the exact distance will depend on the type of soil, its 

 relative fertility, and the variety of corn used. With these factors 

 in mind, the Department planned an exiDeriment on the Cecil loam 

 soil of the Iredell Test Farm with a view to ascertain the proper 

 spacing in the row to obtain the highest yield of corn. The soil 

 was of medium fertility and the variety used was Weekley's Improved. 

 Table l\o. 5 shows the results of this test. From this table it would 

 seem that for this type of soil in its present state of fertility a corn 

 plant of this variety, to do its best, would need about 71/2 square 

 feet of soil in which to grow. The area required by the plant 

 will necessarily vary with soil, seasonal and cultural conditions, 

 and the results here given can be of value only in the way of sug- 

 gestion to those who have the red loam soils in this part of the 

 State. 



An effort has been made, also, to ascertain the proper spacing 



of cotton in the row for best results. The variety used was King's 



Improved and the soil was Cecil loam of medium fertility. Table 



No. 6 shows results of this test in pounds of seed cotton per acre. It 



will be noted that the most seed cotton per acre was produced in 



rows 39 inches apart, with plants 20 inches apart in the row. The 



second highest yield was obtained from rows 39 inches apart with 



plants 24 inches apart in the row. It would seem, therefore, that 



on this type of soil with medium fertility, the usual custom of 



planting cotton 15 inches apart in 3- or 4-foot rows might be changed 



with advantage. 



BUNCOMBE TEST FARM. 



A duplicate test was made with corn on the Buncombe Test Farm 

 the past season. One of the tests was placed on the Porter's loam 

 soil that occupies the foothills in the mountains generally ; the other 

 was placed on the Toxaway loam found in the Swannanoa and French 

 Broad river bottoms. This duplicate test was planned in order to 

 ascertain any difference in the relative adaptability of the varieties 

 to the upland and bottomland soils in this section of the State. The 

 results obtained on the Porter's loam soil are shown in Table Xo. 7. 

 There are wide differences in the yields, ranging from 13iV bushels 

 per acre in the case of the Patton variety to 28 bushels in the case 

 of Thompson's Prolific and Boone County White. It will be noted, 

 however, that Boone County White had but 76 per cent of a perfect 

 stand, while Thompson's Prolific had a perfect stand. Had Boone 

 County White had a perfect stand it is but fair to assume that it 

 would "have out-yielded the former, as all other influencing factors 

 were the same for both varieties. 



