86 THE BOOK OF CORN 



be of the same size and have the same general char- 

 acter of indentation. The marking on this point is 

 largely a matter of judgment and cannot be guided 

 by any set rule. 



Space between rows refers to the furrows formed 

 by the rounding off of the tops of the kernels. It is 

 not, as is generally supposed, the space found on 

 immature ears or ears where the rows of kernels are 

 loose. The ear with space is usually firm and well 

 matured, but the peculiar rounded crown of the ker- 

 nels causes the furrows. It is indicative of poor 

 breeding, and is usually found in ears having but few 

 rows of kernels. These kernels are usually shallow 

 and broad, and rounded at the corners. Such ears 

 always yield a comparatively small percentage of corn 

 to cob. 



Proportion — In determining the proportion of 

 corn to cob, it is the usual custom to select every other 

 ear, making a total of five ears to be weighed. After 

 weighing, shell these ears carefully so as not to break 

 or injure the cob. Then weigh the cobs and subtract 

 this weight from the weight of the five ears; this 

 will give the weight of shelled corn. Divide the 

 weight of shelled corn by the weight of the five eari>, 

 which will give the percentage of shelled corn. 



Before the individual samples have been shelled, 

 it is advisable to pick out the ten samples scoring the 

 highest, lay them side by side and carefully go over 

 them again in order to get a careful comparative 

 study. This will enable the judge to pick out the 

 best sample with confidence, and is always much safer 

 than to trust to the individual scoring. In fact, it is 

 true that the expert judge soon learns to do away 

 with anv hard-and-fast lines in scoring corn. 



