IO8 CEREALS 



during the five growing months produced 9 muids 

 (1,792 Ib.) of dry maize grain per acre; the following year 

 2.2,' 5 in. during the same period produced 26 muids 

 (5,264 Ib.); the results indicate that the increase of 17 

 muids per acre was due to the additional 9*5 in. of rain, or 

 i '8 muids increase for every additional inch increase of 

 rainfall. American investigators consider that a rainfall of 

 1 1 '5 to I2'o in. in the three summer months June, July 

 and August or 15 in. during the four growing months, is 

 adequate. During the season just over I have success- 

 fully grown about 400 acres of maize with the following 

 rainfall : 



In. In. In. 



November . ... 0*55 0-55 \ 



171 



2-58 8-04 I = 11-86 



375 ) 



December 

 January 

 February 

 March 



The crop is light possibly not more than 5 muids 

 (18 bushels) per acre but the quality is excellent. 



Improvement by Breeding. The maize plant is monoe- 

 cious and anemophilous. As is to be expected, therefore, 

 existing strains are extremely heterozygous. It there- 

 fore lends itself readily to improvement by (i) selection 

 of improved cross-bred strains, and (2) further crossing. 

 Great improvement has been effected in the United States 

 and in South Africa, both in yield and quality, by these 

 means. Much remains to be done, especially in increasing 

 the world's total production, by developing new breeds 

 adapted to regions which are not yet producers of 

 maize on a commercial scale. By the development of 

 earlier maturing strains the United States has pushed 

 maize growing northward into the States of North 

 Dakota and Minnesota, and it does not seem impossible 

 that a breed might be raised which would produce a 

 commercial crop of grain in the South of England. 

 Miller (" Gardener's Dictionary ") mentions a variety of 

 maize cultivated in 1562, which " ripens its grain perfectly 

 well in England in as little time as barley." 



Soils. Maize can be grown on almost any kind of soil 

 suited to the production of other farm crops; it need not 

 be as rich as the soils required for some crops, but to 



