292 MAINi: AGRICUIvTURAI, KXPe;RIM1;NT STATION. I91O. 



distinct and abundant confirmation in the results of the farm 

 distribution test with corn. Specific instances of this have 

 already been cited and need not be repeated. This fact is of 

 great biological interest. The uniformity of well-adjusted corn, 

 and the diversity of ill-adjusted, the "germ plasm," or hereditary 

 constitution being alike in both cases, are equally remarkable. 



It might be thought that one point which has been brought out 

 in this discussion of the farm distribution test is opposed to the 

 idea of local adjustment as a factor in breeding of seed corn. 

 This point is that (cf. p. 289) in many cases the selected seed 

 (Type I or II) when put into new localities gave as good or 

 slightly better results than the factory seed. It might at first 

 thought be supposed that the newly introduced seed ought always 

 'to give worse results than the other, if the local adjustment idea 

 has weight. Such a conclusion, however, would not, in the 

 writers' opinion, be justified. On the contrary it would appear 

 that such cases as those mentioned merely mean that in those 

 localities the farmers never have experienced and consequently 

 do not know the valuable results which accrue from having seed 

 from a locally well adjusted strain. In such cases the factory 

 seed, as well as our seed, was, and is regularly brought in from 

 some other locality. It is, in other words, just as "nev/" and 

 on the whole possibly not so good as our selected seed. It is 

 not then surprising that our seed did as well or better. 



In general it may be said by way of summary that in the 

 writers' opinion the farm distribution test justified itself many 

 times over by showing so clearly the importance of the adjust- 

 ment of the strains to local conditions as a factor in the produc- 

 tion of seed sweet corn. When this point is realized by the 

 packer and the farmer and intelligent account is taken of it in 

 the growing of seed it will, we believe, lead to entirely different 

 methods than those now followed. It is clear that it will be 

 advantageous to practice such methods of production and selec- 

 tion as will tend to favor and increase local adjustment. 



III. Plot Te;sts. 

 There were conducted at Farmington in 1909 some experi- 

 ments to test certain particular points which had attracted atten- 

 tion in the course of the breeding work, and in regard to which 

 it was necessary to have further evidence in order to interpret 



