28 The Bulletin. 



western 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 five years at the Iredell farm, located in the Piedmont sec- 

 tion, that Weekley's Improved, Biggs' Seven Ear, Craig's Prolific 

 White, Cocke's Prolific, Sanders' Improved, Hickory King, Holt's 

 Strawberry, Boone County White, Learning Yellow and Reid's Yel- 

 low 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 corn, 

 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 five years (1903-'04-'05-'06-'07) 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 

 conditions 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 

 stover. (2) Large-eared varieties usually have a low percentage of 

 grain to cob, and are as a rule less productive of shelled corn per acre. 

 (3) Ears with very small cob have poorly shaped kernels, and give a 

 small amount of shelled corn per ear, and vice versa. (4) Kernels 

 of low vitality do not tend to the growth of plants of maximum yields. 



