30 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Hills VS. drills (p. 355). — Notes and tabulated data are given for an 

 experiment occupying 10 plats. "In no year out of the 6 was any 

 material difference shown in the yield of corn, whether planted in hills 

 or drills, where equal numbers of kernels were planted." 



Frequency and depth of cultivation (pp. 355, 356). — Ordinary and fre- 

 quent cultivation at different depths were compared with mere removal 

 of the weeds on 11 plats. Taking the average of 5 years, shallow cul- 

 tivation produced 5.9 bus, per acre more than deep, and scraping the 

 surface 2.7 bus. more than deep cultivation. 



Boot-pruning (p. 357). — In 1893 alternate rows of corn were root- 

 pruned and yielded 78.8 bus. per acre 5 the rows not root-pruned yielded 

 100.3 bus. per acre. 



Continuous corn cropping contrasted, with rotation of crops (pp. 357, 

 358). — Tabulated data give the results secured during the last 6 years 

 on half-acre plats which had been under test for 18 years. On 3 plats 

 corn was grown continuously, and on 1 corn and oats, without manure, 

 alternated. On 6 unfertilized plats corn was grown for 2 successive years 

 in a 6 years' rotation, consisting of corn, oats, and clover. On 1 of the 

 plats, continuously in corn, barnyard manure was applied annually at the 

 rate of 24 two horse wagon loads per acre; on another plat different com- 

 mercial fertilizers were used, and still another was unfertilized. As 

 the average of the yields for the last 6 years the plats manured with 

 barnyard manure yielded more than the rotation plats without manure; 

 but in the dry seasons of 1887 and 1893 the rotation plats yielded more 

 than the plat with barnyard manure. "The yields from the plat to 

 which no fertilizers were applied have practically equaled those from 

 that to which commercial manures have been applied ; but they fell 

 far short of those from the rotation plats, and seemed below those from 

 the plat on which the corn was grown in rotation with oats." 



Time of harvesting (pp. 358, 359). — Corn cut early with the ears 

 mostly in the roasting-ear stage and the husks and leaves green yielded 

 2,521 lbs. of corn per acre; harvested when most of the ears were 

 glazed and when a few husks and leaves were becoming dvy the yield 

 was 3,232 lbs. Late harvesting when the corn was fully ripe resulted 

 in a yield of 3,874 lbs. Both early and late harvesting gave a larger 

 yield of stover than harvesting at an intermediate date. 



Gross fertilization (pp. 359, 3G0). — Three plats were planted with corn 

 from self-fertilized ears and 3 others with corn resulting from cross 

 fertilization between different stalks of the same variety. "In every 

 instance the cross-fertilized ear produced the largest yield and the 

 stalks were visibly larger," but the self-fertilized ears were more uni- 

 form in character. 



Four plats were planted with four cross-bred ears each, the result of 

 crossing 2 varieties. In 3 out of four cases the yield from the cross 

 was greater than the average yield of the parent varieties, the average 

 dilfercnce being 2.3 bus. x^er acre in favor of the crosses. 



