142 THE CEREALS IN AMERICA 



rially to its strength. The internodes are alternately furrowed 

 on the side next the leaf blade and on the side where the branch 

 or ear may occur. In fact, furrows appear to occur for the 

 accommodation of the branch or ear buds. 



The maize plant does not depend alone upon the node for 

 erecting bent culms as in the other cereals and grasses gener- 

 ally, but the walls of the lower internode have a similar power. 



(378) 



The per cent of crude fiber is considerably higher in the out- 

 side of the culm than in the pith, thus increasing the per cent 

 of other constituents in the latter. Aside from this, the per cent 

 of ash is higher in the pith, being especially high in potassium 

 and calcium, while the culm wall is notably high in silica. 



At the New York Station the rate of growth ranged from 

 three to eighteen and one-half inches per week. Under spe- 

 cially favorable conditions a growth of five inches was recorded 

 in one day.^ At the Illinois Station an increase in one week 

 equal to 1,300 pounds of dry matter per acre was observed. 



211. Suckers. — ^Under conditions of ordinary culture, one 

 seed produces but one culm. When, however, the planting is 

 not sufficiently thick for the existing conditions, the plant may 

 produce one or more branches from its lower nodes, which 

 branches will throw out separate roots. The branches or culms 

 are known as suckers, and usually do not produce ears. They 

 are not desirable because they take plant food and water from 

 the soil without giving any return in grain. Some varieties of 

 maize produce a number of branches from nodes higher up 

 the culm. Ordinarily, however, the maize plant is unbranched 

 except where its one or more ears are produced, the ear being 

 produced at the end of a much modified branch. (214) 



212, Leaves. — ^With dent maize grown in Iowa, the number 

 of leaves on a culm varied from twelve to eighteen.* Since the 



1 C. S. Plumb: Indian Com Culture, p. 14. 



2 Iowa BuL 3 (1888). 



