844 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



It is stated that in hot dry seasons thinly sown crops are more success- 

 ful than thickly sown crops, and that in southern and southeastern 

 Russia, where the climate is rather dry, crops are usually thinly sown. 

 When the soil is adequately moist and the grain is sown early, thin 

 sowing may be practiced. In general favorable soil conditions and 

 rational methods of sowing tend to decrease the amount of seed neces- 

 sary to sow a given area. — p. fireman. 



The chemistry of the corn kernel, 0. G. Hopkins (Illinois Sta. 

 Bui. 53, pp. 129-180, fig. 1). — The proximate composition of corn (pp. 

 130-157). — Following a resume" of the work of various investigators, 

 beginning with that of Gorham in 1821, the author gives the results of 

 his studies on the proximate composition of the corn kernel, describing 

 incidentally the methods of analysis employed, some work on the 

 determination of water and of nitrogen (see p. 819), sampling, and a 

 condenser for use in fat determination (see p. 820). 



Ten analyses of pint samples of corn of a single variety grown under 

 uniform conditions "showed a marked degree of uniformity;" but 

 analyses of 50 separate ears of Burr White corn from a uniform held 

 varied widely and "seem to bring out and clearly to establish the fact 

 that there are extreme variations in the chemical composition of corn 

 grown from the purest seed of a single variety and under markedly 

 uniform field conditions." The variations in these samples are shown 

 below : 



Variations in tin proximal e com position of BO different ears of Burr White com grown 



under uniform conditions. 



"With every constituent the variation is greater than Flechig found 

 with 13 different varieties, and it is nearly as great as found by the 

 Connecticut Experiment Station with about 75 different varieties of 

 corn grown under 90 presumably different conditions." 



Thirty duplicate analyses were made of kernels from different parts 

 of ears, dividing the ears lengthwise and into tip, middle, and butt; 

 and in addition the ash and protein were determined in single kernels 

 from different parts of the ear, ears being selected which were rela- 

 tively high and low in these constituents. 



"The concordant evidence of 30 duplicate analyses of parts of ears, 

 of 50 ash determinations, and of 50 protein determinations in single 

 kernels would seem to warrant the conclusion and to establish the fact 

 that the composition of the ear is approximately uniform throughout." 



The complete composition of corn (pp. 157-180). — This part consists of 



