THE VALUE OF GOOD SEED 117 



years, but he usually more than makes this up by having a 

 fair crop even in poor corn years, when many others have 

 failures. In poor years for corn production, when the supply 

 of good corn is short, the crop is worth more to the bushel 

 than in good corn years, which more than compensates for 

 the slightly smaller yields in specially favorable seasons. 



148. Indications of Improvement in corn are seen chiefly 

 in the uniformity of the ears, just as pure-bred animals are 

 much more uniform in type than scrubs. If a sample of corn 

 is fairly uniform, it indicates that it has been bred along one 

 line for at least several generations; by having its characters 

 firmly fixed, it is more likely to reproduce itself and bring 

 forth good corn than is a sample that lacks this quality. 



149. Indications of Strength of Germination are maturity, 

 large germs, and dry, sound, bright-looking kernels. Such 

 indications are not always reliable guides and the only 

 practical way of being sure that an ear or a sample of corn will 

 germinate well is to test it. (Sees. 74-77). 



150. The Value of Good Ears. The object of the corn 

 grower is to produce one good ear of corn on each stalk and 

 to have at least three strong stalks to each hill. On an acre 

 of corn planted 3 feet 8 inches apart each way, there are 

 3,240 hills. If one good 10-ounce ear of corn is produced on 

 each hill, a yield of 28.9 bushels will be obtained. This is 

 2.1 bushels to the acre more than the average yield of corn 

 throughout the United States during the ten years from 

 1902 to 1911. A perfect stand with a 10-ounce ear produced 

 on each of three stalks in each hill would produce a yield of 

 86.7 bushels to the acre, which yield may be reasonably 

 expected on good corn land in the corn belt from good 

 methods of culture. 



151. The Form of Ear. The form of ear and type of 

 kernel of course depend largely upon the variety of corn. 



