56 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



the tip and planting by course, until I got to the butt. This 

 experiment has been tried repeatedly, and with the same 

 genera] result. 



Mr. Lyxde. This is a practical question for farmers. I 

 understand from Governor Hoard's theory that if he were 

 going to select seed wheat he would not care to select a 

 plump, full kernel, he would just as soon take a small, 

 shrivelled one. 



Governor Hoard. I want to say that I did not say any 

 such thing. 



Mr. Lynde. Would not any one infer that to be the 

 proper thing to do from what you have said ? 



Governor Hoard. If they did they would misunderstand 

 me. I am not always fortunate in putting my meaning into 

 speech, so I will stand corrected always if a man misunder- 

 stands me, for I ought to make him understand me. My 

 idea was that we should select seeds from good plants ; that 

 we should take a good ear of corn from a strong-growing 

 stalk ; that it was essential to pay attention to the stalk, 

 because the character of the stalk indicated the virility of 

 its parentage, and the ear did not indicate that so clearly. 



Theodore Louis (of Wisconsin). The cultivation of 

 corn is one of my specialties. I live at the extreme limit 

 of the corn belt, so to speak, in the north-western part of 

 Wisconsin. It was once a question if we could successfully 

 grow corn in that northern climate. I found that in order 

 to secure a good crop I must select the largest and the best 

 ears, and especially the earliest. I made in my early years 

 the mistake of planting simply the centre of the ear. I 

 found that I had less bearing stalks in my field than when I 

 afterwards planted the entire ear. Of course I selected a 

 perfect ear, and I can only select an early perfect ear while 

 it is yet upon the stalk and while it shows its earliness by the 

 yellow leaf. In this way I get corn that ripens from Sep- 

 tember 1 to the 5th. I found, as I have said, that when I 

 rejected the tip I had less bearing stalks in my held than 

 I had when I planted the whole. The question of the effect of 

 the stalk has been a controverted point between Governor 

 Hoard and myself. I did not care to look at the stalk ; I 

 considered that the best-developed ear would give me the best 



