Experiments in Growth of Maize. 511 



.connection with the Midland Agricultural Institute ; three in 

 Norfolk and one in Cambridge, in connection with Cambridge 

 University ; one in Surrey and six in Kent, in connection with 

 Wye College. At the centre in Cambridge (the University 

 Farm), the plots were duplicated. Difficulty was experienced 

 in Kent in finding occupiers of land who were willing to devote 

 •two acres to the trials, with the result that about half the area 

 was sown at several localities in Kent, the plots being of the 

 same size as the others (J acre), but fewer varieties being 

 included in the test. 



The germination of the seed was determined at Wye, with 

 the following results : — 



Learning Corn, Canadian Seed 



65 per cent. 



Compton's Early Flint, Canadian Seed 



... 91 » 



Longfellow Flint, Canadian Seed ... 



■•• 94 „ 



Angel of Midnight Flint, Canadian Seed ... 



... 100 ,, 



Early Baden, German .Seed ... 



... 87 „ 



Horse-tooth, German Seed ... 



••• 99 „ 



Ordinary Commercial, United States Seed 



... 80 



Instructions were given that the seed should be sown on 

 .quarter-acre plots, on the same day at any one place, and some 

 time between May 26th and June 7th. Any method of sowing 

 ,and manuring indicated in the Board's leaflet on the cultivation 

 of maize* might be adopted. Attention was specially directed 

 to the necessity for protecting the germinating seed against 

 birds, especially rooks, but unfortunately this precaution was 

 not always observed. 



'The main results of the experiments are indicated in Table I., 

 which gives the date of sowing, the amount of seed per acre, the 

 character of the soil, the manures applied, and the previous 

 -cropping, with a statement of the average yield in those cases 

 where the crop was properly weighed. In Table II. are given 

 the weights per acre obtained from each kind of seed at each 

 station where the crop was weighed, with averages. 



In several cases the experiment failed, mainly owing to the 

 seed being devoured by rooks, and one important lesson to be 

 learnt from these trials is that it is absolutely necessary to keep 

 the rooks off. Stringing the field was generally successful in 

 this respect. It must also be borne in mind that 1902 was 



* See Leaflet 73, or Journal, Vol. VIII., March, 1902, p. 470. 



