276 THE CEREALS IN AMERICA 



was brought from America in vessels which sailed into the 

 Mediterranean Sea and landed in the various countries denoted. 

 The climate on both sides of the Mediterranean is fairly wel. 

 adapted to the growth of maize. The rapid introduction into 

 these countries of so striking a plant and its spread therefrom 

 is not a matter of surprise. 



Practicums. 



371. Description of Maize Plant. 

 Name of variety .... Date .... 



1. Maturity of plant silking: roasting ear; partly dented or glazed; dented 



or glazed ; nearly ripe ; ripe. 



2. Height of plant: average of ten plants . . . feet . . . inches 



3. Proportion of ears : number of ears on one hundred stalks . . 



4. Barren stalks : number in one hundred stalks . . . 



5. Position of ear : pointing upward; horizontal; pointing downward. 



6. Husks : adherent ; medium ; non-adherent. 



7. Husks : abundant ; medium ; scanty. 



8. Length of shank: distance from node to base of ear, — average of ten 



plants . . . 

 g. Circumference of stem : at middle of internode between second and third node 

 from ground . . . 



10. Circumference of stem: at middle of internode below main ear . . . 



11. Number of leaves : average of ten plants . . . 



12. Average width of leaf blades : average of five plants . . 



13. Average length of leaf blades : average of five plants ... 



14. Length of tassel : average of ten plants . . . 



372. The Characters of the Grain. — Give each student twenty-five to 

 thirty grains each of five types of maize or five varieties of a single type. For Nos. 

 12 to 18, a number of grains should be soaked in hot water for thirty minutes, or in 

 cold water for twenty-four hours. For taking measurements, furnish each student 

 with a sheet of cross-section paper. 



Name of variety .... Date .... 



1. Weight : ten average grains in duplicate (a) . . . (b) . . . 



2. Length : ten average grains in duplicate (a) . . . (b) . . . 



3. Width : ten average grains in duplicate (a) , , . (b) . . . 



4. Thickness : ten average grains in duplicate (a) . , . (b) . . . 



5. Ratio of width to length : divide length of ten grains by width of ten grains 



(a) . . . (b) . . . 



6. Ratio of thickness to width : divide width of ten grains by thickness of tetj 



grains (a) . . . (b) . . . 



7. Shape ; fiat ; spheroidal ; conical. 



