Indian Corn as a Forage Plant. 165 



ear com was returned from planting the kernels twelve inches 

 apart in the tow, or about 12,000 per acre, from which the returns 

 were seventy-three bushels of sound ears and sixteen bushels of 

 poor ears per acre, with only about 600 pounds less digestible 

 matter than was returned from planting the kernels four times as 

 thick. 



Morrow holds that, for Illinois conditions, 10,000 good stalks 

 of corn per acre (secured by planting about 12,000 kernels) give 

 the best returns in grain. The lesson from the above table is 

 confirmed by the work of other Stations, and teaches that when 

 the stockman is seeking the greatest amount of nutrients possible 

 from the corn crop he will plant the seed so thickly as to choke 

 the ears to about half their natural size. If, on the other hand, 

 his aim is to produce grain, with stover secondary, then he will 

 plant the seed grains at such distances one from another as will 

 allow each individual plant to produce one or more full-sized 

 ears of corn. No rule can be given which is applicable in 

 all cases for guidance as to the amount of seed corn to be planted 

 per acre. This varies greatly and is determined by local condi- 

 tions. One must know quite accurately the capacity of his land 

 for this crop and seed accordingly, bearing in mind, as shown 

 above, that thick seeding gives the most total nutrients, while 

 medium seeding gives the most sound grain. 



237. Increase of nutrients during maturity. — At the New York 

 (Geneva) Station ^ Ladd conducted investigations in relation to the 

 storage of nutrients by the growing corn plant, and has arranged his 

 data in excellent form for study. His findings are substantiated 

 by results in the same line obtained at several other Stations. The 

 great importance of the subject is sufficient excuse for the space 

 here occupied. The stockman should know what the corn plants 

 in his field are doing in the way of gathering food between 

 early growth and maturity. He should have a keen appreciation 

 of this wonderful process of food-gathering, and as ftdl knowledge 

 as possible of when and under what conditions the maximum 

 results ai-e obtained by the plant. Ladd's study of the corn plant 

 extends from the time it was tasseled untU the kernels were 



Rept. 1889. 



