118 Nebraska Agricultural Exp. Station , Research Bui. 20 
inches) to the total dry matter produced (in grams). The basis 
of selection on the one hand was a high ratio of leaf area to 
total plant weight, and on the other hand a low ratio of leaf 
area to total plant weight. The characteristics of the progeny 
grown each year are shown in Table 46. In 1911 these two 
types were planted in isolation plats without further selection 
aside from the use of well-developed ears for seed. These isola- 
tion plats have each year provided the seed for the comparative 
yield test during the six years 1911-1917 which is reported in 
Table 47. 
While neither strain has surpassed the original corn in yield, 
the low leaf area strain has outyielded the high leaf area strain 
3.3 bushels per acre. The low leaf area strain actually yielded 
2.3 bushels less than the original while the F 1 hybrid between 
the two strains, which was made each year by natural crossing, 
yielded 3.2 bushels more than the low leaf and 6.5 bushels more 
than the high leaf area strains. The data as a whole suggest a 
possible superiority of the low leaf area over the high leaf area 
strains, but also suggest a reduction in yield, probably due to 
narrow fertilization resulting from the restricted type selection. 
SELECTION FOR PLANT CHARACTERS OF NEBRASKA WHITE PRIZE CORN 
In 1914 eight lots of ears in composite were selected from a 
field of Nebraska White Prize corn, representing (1) three de- 
grees of ear height, viz, high, medium, and low; (2) three de- 
grees of erectness of ear on the stalk, viz, erect, medium drooping, 
and drooping; and (3) two degrees of lodge resistance, viz, stand- 
ing stalks versus lodged stalks. These various plant types were 
tested for yield in adjacent plats during the five years 1915- 
1917 and 1920-1921. Continuous type selection of the most ex- 
treme plants for seed was practiced yearly within these same 
plats. Thus, the pollination was promiscuous between the types, 
and the selection was confined primarily to the mother parent. 
During the five years (Table 48), selection for high, medium, 
and low ears yielded respectively 51.6, 53.1, and 53.6 bushels per 
acre. The plants with low ears yielded two bushels per acre 
more than those having high ears. As an average for the 
period, the plants resulting from these three lines of ear height 
selection averaged 54, 47, and *14 inches for ear height, and 102, 
98, and 93 inches for stalk height. None of these surpassed the 
original corn in yield of grain per acre. 
Selection for erect ness of ears resulted in a somewhat higher 
per cent of plants having erect ears than where drooping ears 
