2 86 MAIZE 



CHAP. The following have been tried and discontinued : Waterloo 



VIL Extra Early, Late Mastodon, Yellow Butcher, Bloody Butcher, 

 Wealth of Nations, King Early, Pride of the North, Improved 

 Learning, Legal Tender, Early Mastodon, Extra-early Huron, 

 Minnesota 13, White-cap, Early Butler, Droughtproof, Austin 

 Colossal, Bristol 100-day, White-cap, Brewer, Riley Favourite, 

 Clarence River, Hawkesbury Champion, Iowa Gold-mine, Red 

 Hogan, King-of-the-Earliest, Kansas Sunflower, Queen of the 

 Prairie, Hildreth. 



239. Hickory King. — Figs. 94A, 95, and 96. Class : medium 

 late white dent ; rows, 8 ; length of ear, 9 inches ; circumference 

 of ear at 2 inches from butt, 6\ inches, from tip, 5 \ inches ; grain, 

 often as broad as deep, narrow crease-dented, roughish to 

 smooth. First introduced into Natal before the War, thence 

 into the Transvaal and Orange Free State ; fresh introductions 

 from the United States were made by the writer after the 

 War. 



Hickory King is the best known and most extensively 

 grown breed in South Africa, although its average yielding 

 capacity is lower than that of several other breeds. It is later 

 in maturing than several other sorts grown, and is therefore 

 better suited to Midland or Bush-veld conditions than to 

 the Upland or High-veld climate. Generally speaking, it is 

 not a good drought-resister, but is considered less particular 

 about its soil-requirements than some other breeds, and is 

 grown successfully on lighter, sandy soils, where Boone County 

 fails. The grain is large and attractive in appearance, which 

 probably accounts for the general popularity of the breed, 

 and the cob is extremely thin, drying out quickly. The 

 breed is typically 8-rowed, but there has been a good deal 

 of inter-crossing with 10- and 12-rowed breeds, and there may 

 also be a certain amount of fluctuating variability in this 

 direction ; but as a rule well-bred Hickory King is more 

 constant in row numbers than other dent breeds. The 8-row 

 character appears to be partly responsible for low yield, inas- 

 much as there is too great width of sulci when there is any 

 depth to the grain ; or when there is no loss of space between 

 rows, the grain is shallow and apt to be too thin ; these facts 

 suggest that 10-row and 1 2-row types of Hickory should be 

 better yielders, and breed tests show that this is the case. 



