252 MAIZE 



CHAP. 205. Length of Ear. — Standards at best are but approxi- 



mate, and especially is this true in regard to length of ear. 

 Change of altitude and latitude affect development, so that it is 

 necessary to vary the standard for length of ear of the same 

 breed, according to the part of the world (e.g. America or 

 South Africa) or even according to the part of the same 

 country (e.g. the Transvaal or Natal), in which it is grow- 

 ing. Seven and a half to 8-J inches is the usual length for 

 ears of Hickory King in the United States. We have been 

 able to grow ears of this breed I \\ inches Jong, and it may be 

 necessary to fix the South African standard higher than that 

 of the States. The difference is perhaps due to crossing and 

 subsequent selection over a period of years. Variation of 

 season also affects length of ear, so that it will not do to take 

 the measurements of a single season as a guide in setting the 

 standard. But variation of season need not affect the use of 

 the standard in judging. In an unfavourable season it may 

 happen that no exhibit comes up to standard length ; then all 

 exhibits lose alike on this point, and, at the most, length of 

 ear only affects the score by 10 per cent. 



Very long ears are usually produced only when the season 

 is long and particularly favourable, for long ears appear to 

 require a relatively long season for full development. It is 

 probable that the majority of the longest ears in a crop were 

 produced on late-maturing plants, therefore we may reasonably 

 expect that if in seed selection we pick the very longest ears 

 we may be developing a late-maturing strain. This may be 

 counteracted, to some extent, by selecting from among the 

 long ears those that have the most perfect tips. 



In measuring ears take the full measurement from extreme 

 butt to tip. This can be done best by the use of the foot-rule 

 held in both hands, one end even with the butt the other end 

 over the tip of the ear. Add together the deficiency and 

 excess of length of each of the ten ears, as compared with the 

 standard, and cut one point for each inch so obtained. 



206. Sulci or Spaces between Rows. — A wide space between 

 rows means waste of space that should be filled by the grains, 

 and therefore means loss of grain. lhere are two places at 

 which waste space must be looked for — 



