138 HOW TO OBTAIN GOOD STAND OF CORN 



yield when 18 to 24 square feet per stalk is allowed, or 

 from 2,420 to 1,850 hills to the acre. 



Eighteen square feet per stalk may be secured by 

 planting 36 inches apart in 6-foot rows, or 43 inches 

 apart in 5-foot rows, or 4 feet, 3 inches apart each way. 



At the Texas Station the highest average yield for five 

 varieties tested, resulted from planting 4 feet by 2J/2 

 feet apart, while the planting 3 feet by 2^ feet apart 

 stood second, 5 by 3 third, and 4^2 by 3 gave the lowest 

 yields. Golden Beauty and Learning produced the best 

 yields from close planting, while Thomas, 100-day Bristol 

 and Forsyth Favorite, did best in 4- foot rows, planted 

 2.y 2 feet apart in the drill. 



The increase of 2.2 bushels per acre which the work 

 at the Missouri Station indicated would result from im- 

 proving the stand from 85 to 94 per cent. A perfect 

 stand would, if secured for each of the 108,771,000 acres 

 devoted to the corn crop in 1909, secure an increase of 

 $142,620,535.20, at the farm value of 59.6 cents per 

 bushel. 



As a matter of fact, however, comparatively few fields 

 have even 85 per cent of a perfect stand. In view of 

 the opinion of prominent authorities on this subject, that 

 the average corn field has not over 66 per cent of a per- 

 fect stand, while in many cases the percentage is less 

 than 40, it is difficult to compute the loss resulting to the 

 corn-growers of the United States from this cause. 



