ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL 18 



stem contain numerous bacteria, which probably cause the 

 disease, though definite proof of this point has not yet been 

 had, owing' to the absence of tobacco plants in suitable con- 

 dition for inoculation. The substance of this paper was 

 issued in September as bulletin No. 188 of the North Carolina 

 Experiment Station. 



Improvement of Corn by Seed Selection. C. B. Williams, 

 Raleigh. (Abstract). 



For the improvement of corn there are three methods in 

 general practice: first, by the importation of seed from some 

 reputable grower or breeder; second, b}* the careful selection 

 of seed corn from one's own field or from a neighbor's; third, 

 by careful selection and growing- of seed-corn in a field iso- 

 lated at least one-quarter of a mile from any other corn field. 



The characters that should be taken into account in seed 

 selection are: (1) Selection of ears from stalks that have two 

 or more ears, as it has been demonstrated time and again that 

 two medium sized ears from a stalk give higher yields per acre 

 than one large ear. < 2) The stalks should be large at the 

 base and gradually tapering - towards the tassel for two rea- 

 sons: first, because it will be better enabled to withstand 

 drought, and second, because it will stand better in a wind 

 storm. (3) The ears should by all means be of a cylindrical 

 form with both butts and tips filled out, as this is the form 

 that gives the highest percentage yield of shelled corn per 

 ear. The difference in yield, as a result of actual experience 

 of ears of the same length, between those that had the tips 

 filled and those that were not, was something like six bushels 

 per acre. ( 4) The best shaped kernel is a medium wedge, as 

 this fills the space on the cob most completely. Also the dis- 

 tance between the rows of grains on the cob should be small, 

 while the number of rows should be large, and they should 

 run parallel the full length of the cob, with little or no dimin- 

 ution in size either at "the butts or tips. 



This paper will appear in full in the Bulletin of the North 

 Carolina Department of Agriculture, Vol. 24, No. 9. 



