90 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [P. D. 4. 



regions it has been pressed as an essential to work injury 

 where adopted. Every ear husked with one-half inch of cob 

 protruding beyond the kernels is to me a warning that it was 

 ready to do its part, and that I failed somewhere to grasp 

 the lesson to do my full duty. 



Shelling out a lot of ears of varying length, 8 to 11 inches, 

 it was a matter of no little surprise that there was less than 

 one-fourth ounce difference in weight of the individual cobs, 

 the 8, 9, 10 and lOj inch cobs weighing 1 ounce each, and 

 the 11-inch, 1| ounces. This was crib-dried corn. An S-inch 

 ear should shell 8 ounces of corn, and for any increase in 

 length we should get 1 ounce net for each inch. This is for 

 8-rowed corn, though in shelling out a lot of 12-rowed, I 

 found no variation from this rule, the net weights being the 

 same. An 8-inch ear of 8-rowed corn should yield 380 full 

 kernels, and for every inch increase in length 48 kernels should 

 be added. If we are not getting this something is wrong with 

 our work. 



Here we touch the significance of the kernel, for the increase 

 of 1 inch to the ears would signify an increase of practically 

 8 bushels per acre. Years ago I set my standard at one ear 

 on every stalk and 500 kernels on every ear, and while that 

 may never be reached, except in isolated cases, it is still the 

 objective point, and some progress is yearly being made. 

 Kernel by kernel, length of ear is slowly yielding to an in- 

 sistent demand for more, while width, depth and thickness of 

 kernel seem well established. 



You of southern Massachusetts should set your standard 

 higher, for the Maine crop must be matured in one hundred 

 days or less, and we cannot grow as large ears as you. 



No man can be content with present attainment without 

 absolute loss in the future. That man who has struck twelve 

 in production of any crop will hardly reach that level again. 

 It is the everlasting reaching out after such control as will 

 command more that alone may insure additional length of 

 cob and number of kernels. 



To plant 1 acre, the rows 3 feet apart, 5 kernels every 36 

 inches, will require practically 18,000 kernels. As a rule, seed 

 testing 95 to 97 in the box loses 15 to 20 per cent in field 



