FIELD CROPS. 27 



seed ears was brought out in several instances bj the yields oi rows located near each 

 other. 



In 1902 rows 5 and 7 in the high protein plat produced 74.6 and 86.4 bu. pei acre, 

 and in 1904 rows 22 and 24 produced 79.2 and 96.4 bu. per acre, respectively. The 

 results of mechanical selection «»!' corn by different parties showed thai in every case 

 again was made in the average protein content of the selected ears. The authors 



rec mend planting the breeding plal with the seed from 96 selected ears in 96 



separate rows, to detassel c pletely every alternate n>\\ before the pollen matures, 



ami to select all of the seed corn from the 48 detasseled rows, it is advised toallow 

 tin- tassel to develop sufficiently to be separated alone at the top joinl by a careful 

 pull. 



The breeding plal according to the proposed plan is divided into quarters, each 

 containing 24 rows and each row representing a separate seed ear. The even-num- 

 bered rows are detasseled and 4 ears are selected for seed from each of the 6 best- 

 yielding detasseled rows in each quarter, making 96 ears in all. " It is recommended 

 that these 96 seed cars be numbered from I to 48 and from 51 to 98, the numbers 19 

 and 50 being omitted; also, that ears I to 48 be planted in one half of the plal and 

 ears 51 to 98 be planted in the other half, preferably end-to-end with the first half, 

 leaving one hill implanted to mark the line between the two halves, also leaving one 

 rowunplanted to mark the line between rows 24 and 25 and between rows 74 and 75; 

 that is, between quarters." 



It is advised, however, to start the first year in the MM) series, numbering the ear- 

 to he planted in succession from loi to 148, and from i:>i to 198; the second year 

 from L'ol to 248, and from 251 to 298, and so on. The <^\ ears planted in the odd- 

 numbered rows to produce tassels and to furnish pollen are referred to as " sire seed " 

 and the >"rv>\ ears for the even-nnnibered rows, which will contain the mother plants 

 producing the future seed, are called "dam seed." Two of the 4 seed ears taken 

 from each one of the selected rows arc used for sire seed and 2 for dam <{•{•<]. 



"The dam seed ears for each quarter are ears which grew in the same quarter, 

 while the sire seed is always brought from another quarter. For the first quarter 

 ( rows 1 to 24 ) sire ears are brought from the fourth quarter. For the second quarter 

 -ire seed is brought from the third. In each of these cases sire seed iscarried diago- 

 nally across the breeding plat. For the third quarter sire seed is brought from the 

 lirst quarter, and for the fourth, from the second, the sire seed being carried length- 

 wise of the breeding plat in these cases." 



A definite arrangement for the planting of the ^vv<\ ear's in alternate years has 

 been devised to entirely eliminate inbreeding or to bring its influence to a minimum. 

 The order of planting in the even-numbered years is illustrated by considering the 

 first quarter of the plat containing rows I to 24, of which numbers 2, 4, 0, s, lo, and 

 12 were the t; best-yielding rows, each furnishing 2 dam seed ears and 2 sin- seed 



ears. The 12 ears of dam seed, bearing the same number as the rows fr which 



they were taken, are used for planting the even-numbered rows of the quarter, the 

 order, beginning with row number 2, being 2, 6, lo, 4, 8, 12, 2, 6, 10, 4, 8, 12, or- the 

 alternating even numbers repeated in sets of :; and 0. 



The odd-numbered rows of the quarter are planted with 12 sire ears representing 

 the 6 selected rows of the fourth quarter. The numbers of these rows in the case 

 given are 76, 78, so, 82, 84, so, ami the order of planting the ears, beginning with 

 row No. 1, is given as follows: 70, so, 84, 78, 82, so, 7s, si', 86, 70, 80, 84. The order 

 is the same as for the dam seed ears, with the exception that the two sets of :; are 

 reversed in the second set of o. For the odd-numbered years the two sets of 6 in 

 planting the sire seed are transposed, which then makes the order as follows: 78, B2, 

 86, 70, so, 84, 70, so, 84, 78, 82, so. Exactlythe same system is used in each quarter 

 of the breeding plat. 



