130 SOUTHERN FIELD CROPS 



for the mature ears to remain erect or to bend downward 

 is an hereditary quality, and that this tendency can be 

 intensified by selection. The drooped ear, which is prefer- 

 able because of its increased protection against rain, was 

 found to accompany a long shank. One strain had shanks 

 averaging 12 inches in length, the other 7 inches. The 

 diameter of the shank did not, in this case, determine the 

 direction in which the mature ear pointed. 



115. Barren plants. — Barrenness, or the teridency for 

 a considerable proportion of the plants to bear no ear, 

 is usually regarded as hereditary. 



Hartley (U. S. Dept. Agr. Year Book, 1902, p. 549) 

 found that the removal of barren stalks from the field 

 where seed was saved reduced the percentage of barren 

 stalks in the next crop from 8.11 to 3.43. Since barren- 

 ness is difficult to detect before tasseling, it is advisable to 

 remove the tassels from all poor stalks before they shed 

 any pollen, whether these plants are entirely barren or 

 merely weak and poor. The remaining tassels will fur- 

 nish an abundance of pollen. 



116. Influence of size of ears. — At the Virginia Ex- 

 periment Station (Bui. 165, p. 170), the crop from large 

 ears averaged 5 bushels more per acre than that from 

 small ears of the same strain of corn. Likewise greater 

 yields were obtained from large ears at the Ohio Station ; 

 the percentage of germination was higher for the grains 

 on the larger ears, and the young plants from the larger 

 ears grew more rapidly. 



117. Selection in the field better than in the crib, — 

 Selection of seed ears can better be made in the field than 

 in the crib, especially in the case of two-eared or prolific 



