lo April, 1909.] Some Facts Concerning Maize. 



197 



Two facts of interest are to be deducted from the table of measure- 

 ments. Tiie grower of maize for fodder will note that some varieties 

 naturally grow much higher thnn others under the same conditions of 

 soil. For example, there is a great difference between the height of 

 North-Western Dent, 76 inches, and that of Eclipse, 117^ inches. a 

 dairyman would be very unwise to grow the former if the latter were 

 procurable. Another fact of importance to the dairyman is that some 

 varieties produce more leaves than others. The average minimum number 

 of leaves appears to be thirteen and the average maximum number six- 

 teen. Three leaves extra on each plant in a field would make a great 

 difference in the tonnage per acre. To illustrate what a difference there 

 can be, the following dimensions of the leaves themselves are interesting : — 



Maize Varieties, with Length and Breadth of Top, Centre, and Bottom Leaves 



IN Inches. 



Period of Maturity. 



Late in Season 



Very early 



Early 

 Medium 



Early 

 Very early 

 Late 

 Medium 



j Early 

 I Medium 



Early 



Pursuing our previous comparison of North-Western Dent and Eclipse, 

 it will be noted that the latter has an extra four leaves at the top — each 

 of which is 21 inches in length and 3^ inches in breadth. It will also 

 be noted that, in all cases, the centre leaves of the maize plant are longer 

 than the top ones, which are also longer than the bottom ones. Pre- 

 cisely the same thing holds good with the breadth of the leaves. The 

 column showing the period of maturity gives an excellent index as to 

 the suitability of one or another variety to any particular locality or for 

 successional sowing. 



Characteristics of Varieties for Grain. 



Reference to the table giving the heights of different maize varieties 

 will reveal a fact of interest to the grain-grower. Not only do some 



