INHERITANCE—IMPROVEMENT BY BREEDING 131 



Out of 93 ears of Hickory King (grown at Vereeniging in CHAP. 

 1908), which were carefully weighed, the 10 poorest (Nos. v - 

 231-80) averaged 7 ozs. of grain apiece (Table XIX). A 

 full stand of 8,712 plants averaging 7 ozs. of grain apiece would 

 give 19 muids per acre. The crop at Vereeniging in 1908 

 only averaged approximately 6 muids per acre, on 3,500 

 acres, while on the best land it ran to about 10 muids per acre. 

 Allowing 10 muids in this case, for the purpose of discussion, 

 how can we account for the other 9 muids, equivalent to 47 

 per cent of the crop which an average yield of 7 ozs. of grain 

 per ear should give ? And what has become of those ears 

 which averaged as much as 8^87 ozs. of grain per ear? It seems 

 incredible that 47 per cent of the stand should fail completely 

 to yield any return, or that the remaining 53 per cent should 

 give an average of only 7 ozs. of grain per ear when the 

 average of 93 ears is 7^90 ozs. ! A yield of 10 muids would 

 give the absurdly low average of 3^67 ozs. of grain per ear, 

 with a full stand, while one of only 6 muids would be equal to 

 only 2 - 20 ozs. per ear. 



This matter needs thorough investigation, including a large 

 number of careful counts and weighings, for it is a state of 

 affairs which should be altered. Whether the low yield is due 

 to the imperfect stand, or to the low average of grain per ear, 

 or whether partly to one and partly to the other, there is cer- 

 tainly great need for improvement. If the stand is so poor 

 that 47 per cent of the plants fail to grow, or to bear ears, it 

 should be possible to secure better stands. If a stand of 53 

 per cent bears an average of only 7 ozs. of grain per ear, it is 

 clearly possible to improve that average, when we consider 

 that a number of ears give 878 ozs., and the average of 93 ears 

 is 7 '90 ozs. A stand is never perfect; some allowance must 

 always be made for vacant places due to misses in planting, 

 accidents in harrowing and cultivation, destruction by hail, 

 cutworm, stalk-boxer, and cranes, losses in harvesting, etc. 

 These losses often amount to 25 per cent, but just how many 

 bearing stalks constitute an average stand has yet to be 

 determined. 



1 01. Importance of a Perfect Stand. — From what has 

 already been said it is evident that there are two things es- 

 sential to securing the heaviest possible yields of maize : {a) a 



9* 



