COkN dROWEKS ASSOCIATION. 3 1 



planted in a hiil and the hills were one foot each way. The objectioa 

 was offered that this was not an ordinary condition, that we do not 

 plant wheat in that way, we broadcast or put it in thickly and that 

 supposing you improve a variety under these conditions, it would not 

 sustain its characteristics when grown in the ordinary way. The re- 

 suit was that in a few years' time the Hallet wheat produced a variety 

 that yielded fifty bushels more under good conditions, and under all 

 conditions, poor or rich soil, the Hallet wheat developed in that way be- 

 came a better yielding variety than any other known at that time. The 

 same thing may be said about improved live stock. A good many men 

 say that in order to have good Shorthorn, Hereford or Angus cattle you 

 must feed them. That is true, but at the same time it is true that good 

 care and feed given to ail animal or plant tends to develop in that plant 

 or animal certain characteristics which the animal or plant will sustain, 

 and it will tend to sustain these characteristics under favorable and un- 

 favorable circumstances. If the circumstances are nearly like they were 

 when that particular characteristic was developed — if, as in the case 

 of beef breeds of animals — we continue to feed them and give them the 

 same care, they will reach a still higher development; but even under 

 scarcer feed and with less care, these animals will still have a tendency 

 to fatness. Some animals will stay fat all the time and some animals 

 under the same conditions v/ill be lean. Corn is the same way. In order 

 to develop a good ear — in order to develop that characteristic, we must 

 supply the favorable conditions, that is, grow it on a fairly rich soil 

 and we need not expect that if the corn is planted on a poor soil it 

 will do as well, but it will have acquired the power to sustain these 

 characteristics and will do better than unimproved varieties. 



Dr. Huston — I remember the saying of Peter Henderson in dis- 

 cussing peas. He said: "You have produced the largest and the smallest 

 pea, the earliest and the latest pea, but if someone would only produce 

 the pea that will be eaten !" You must keep in mind what you are going 

 to use your crop for. The great majority of the corn raised is raised 

 with a view to feeding. The Indiana Station did considerable work 

 along the line of investigation of the chemical composition of corn with 

 a particular view to handling protein in connection with hominy corn. 

 We did the same with field corn. It was no trouble to increase the pro- 

 tein, but unless great care was taken the corn became flinty, and the cattle 

 would not eat it unless it was ground. We may say, we have the big 

 and little com, the early and the late corn, but give us the corn we can 

 eat! That point must be kept in mind. Some of the stations that are 

 working on corn are not keeping that point in mind. 



