MISCELLANEOUS. 215 



seling, while in 1892 they were favorable.* As 

 based on this experience the Kansas investi- 

 gators state that in seasons favorable to the 

 production of much pollen, when the pollena- 

 tion can take place under normal conditions 

 (as to rainfall and temperature) it is advanta- 

 geous to remove a portion of the tassels, but 

 * * * where the contrary conditions prevail 

 the practice results in diminishing the crop." 



No doubt the practice will have, but few fol- 

 lowers. In numerous experiments the opera- 

 tion has been thought to be a direct injury to 

 the plant. Further, the operation of detassel- 

 ing involves extra cost of crop, while the re- 

 turns where an increase has occurred in most 

 cases were not remarkable. 



In case the corn-grower wishes to experi- 

 ment in this work the following suggestion by 

 Watson of the Cornell University station may 

 be of ^rvice:-}- " From these three experiments 

 made at this station in detasseling corn it has 

 been observed that it is of the utmost impor- 

 tance to have the tassel removed at the earliest 

 time possible, certainly before they have be^ 

 come expanded, and still bettei- if enclosed 

 within the folds of the leaf." The operation of 



* Kansas experiment station. Bulletin 45, December, 1893, 

 pp. 132-138. 



t Cornell University agricultural experiment station., Bul- 

 letin No. 49, December, 1892. 



