Maximum Limit of Production for Maize 189 



maize, and thus to demonstrate whether, with the aid of irriga- 

 tion, it will be possible in humid climates to secure larger yields 

 by planting closer together. 



The problem this year has been tested with two varieties of 

 maize, Pride of the North, and a white dent of unknown name. 

 Each has been planted in rows 44 inches apart and in hills 15 

 inches in the row. The white dent was thinned to 4 stalks, 3 

 stalks, 2 stalks, and 1 stalk in a hill, and the Pride of the North 

 to 3 stalks, 2 stalks, and 1 stalk in a hill. It was found, after the 

 stalks had attained some size after thinning, that the white dent 

 threw out 1 and sometimes 2 suckers where it had been thinned 

 to 1 stalk. These were allowed to stand, rather than incur the 

 risk of introducing greater irregularities which would be unknown. 

 But few of these suckers matured ears, and hence their effect has 

 been to increase the amount of stalk in proportion to the ear, and 

 possibly even to reduce the weight of ears, particularly on the 

 ground not irrigated. The Pride of the North was planted on 

 ground from which hay had been cut three consecutive years, and 

 in which a fair amount of clover was maintained, the land having 

 been irrigated. The white dent was grown upon ground from 

 which two crops of cabbage had been taken, and which had been 

 irrigated for both crops. Preparatory to planting the first crop of 

 cabbage, after turning under the clover sod, the ground had been 

 given a dressing of partly rotted stable manure amounting to 68 

 tons per acre. In addition to this, a mixture of commercial fer- 

 tilizers consisting of 157 pounds of bone meal, 25 pounds Armour's 

 "all soluble" fertilizer and 6 pounds of nitrate of soda was sown 

 broadcast upon the ground Aug. 16. Neither manure nor fertil- 

 izers of any kind were given to the soil of either piece for the 

 season the corn was grown nor the year before. 



In both cases the corn was harrowed before coming up, and 

 cultivated twice in a row until too large to work longer. The 

 several areas bearing corn of different degrees of thickness were 

 divided into three sub-plots, and the middle one in each case was 

 not irrigated, while the two adjacent ones were. 



At maturity the corn was husked, and the amount of water- 

 free substance in both ear and stalk determined in each case. 



