Corn Investigations 
111 
As an average for eleven years, the seed fertilized by the 
best one-half of the plants yielded 0.9 bushel more than the seed 
fertilized by the poorest one-half of the plants. However, both 
yielded respectively 1.5 bushels and 2.4 bushels less than the 
original corn. This slight reduction in yield suggests a possible 
effect of somewhat narrowing down the fertilization in both 
cases. An increase in yield over the two lots respectively of 3.7 
bushels and 2.4 bushels per acre from a cross between the two 
during the last seven years tends to substantiate this. 
Table 43. — Good versus poor stalks detasseled. Hogue's Yellow 
Dent corn. 1907-1917. 
Year 
No. of 
replica- 
tions 
Original 
Hogue’s 
Yellow 
Dent 
Good 
stalks 
detasseled 
Poor 
stalks 
detasseled 
Fi cross 
of good and 
poor stalks 
detasseled 
(1) 
(2) 
(3) 
(4) 
(5) 
(6) 
1907 
1 
63.7 
66.1 
70.2 
1908 . 
1 
34.2 
34.7 
33.9 
1909 
4 
38.6 
37.1 
32.7 
1910 
4 
55.4 
51.7 
53.9 
1911 
4 
42.6 
39.1 
37.6 
42.6 
1912 
4 
51.6 
48.7 
55.6 
52.8 
1913 
5 
9.8 
5.9 
3.8 
6.2 
1914 
3 
57.1 
55.1 
54.2 
59.2 
1915 
7 
79.5 
69.5 
72.7 
76.1 
1916 
4 
71.7 
70.5 
71.1 
75.9 
1917 
4 
57.4 
57.1 
60.1 
59.2 
Average 1 1 years . . 
51.1 
48.7 
49.6 
Average 7 years . . . 
52.8 
49.4 
50.7 
53.1 
It is evident that detasseling the poorest appearing one-half 
of the plants in a seed plat has not resulted in an increased 
yield over the original corn produced and selected in the ordi- 
nary way. The difficulty of establishing inherent inferiority by 
mere appearance is probably an obstacle in the way of effective 
improvement by this method. 
