JUDGING AND SELECTION 269 



Sweetness. — Sweet grain is free from mustiness or other CHAP. 



objectionable smell. 



Soundness. — -Sound grain is free from decay, or the 

 ravages of insects and Diplodia injury (Fig. 159). 



Plumpness. — Plump grain is well filled, not shrivelled nor 

 chaffy. 



Cleanness. — This refers to freedom from bits of cob, chaff, 

 and all extraneous matter. 



Brightness. — A prime choice parcel of maize should be 

 bright and shiny. Some breeds, e.g. Golden King, lack the 

 lustre of others. Grain which has been harvested wet, and 

 then dried out, often loses its brightness, and a dull sample 

 (from whatever cause) is assumed to be due to harvesting 

 when wet. 



Condition of Shelled Grain refers to soundness, plumpness, 

 sweetness, dryness, cleanness, and brightness. Soundness 

 and plumpness are considered the primary points in studying 

 condition ; sweetness comes third, dryness fourth — for a sweet 

 sample, but not quite dry, may dry out, but a dry sample 

 that is musty will never get quite sweet again. 



For grader's requirements, see chapter XII. 



Twenty-five points may be reserved for the ears accompany- 

 ing a sample of shelled maize. The points to be considered in 

 this connection are those which particularly affect uniformity 

 and the quality of the grain, i.e. trueness to type, shape, space 

 between rows, straightness of rows and regularity of grain, and 

 firmness of grain on the cob. 



Length. — Length of ear affects the yield ; other things 

 being equal, the longest ears should have the preference pro- 

 vided they no not exceed the standard of length for the breed. 



Space between Rows. — Wide space between rows is space 

 wasted, and usually implies badly shaped grain. 



Trueness to Type. — Unless the ears are true to type the 

 sample will not be uniform. 



Shape of Ears. — The more cylindrical the ear the more 

 uniform the grain. Allowance must be made for breed char- 

 acteristics in this respect, for the ears of Learning, Cluster 

 County, and some other breeds are naturally tapering. 



Firmness of Grain on the Cob — If grain is loose on the 

 cob it may mean that it is not as plump and well filled as 



VI. 



