Corn Investigations 
119 
were chosen for seed. The drooping ears yielded 2.3 bushels more 
than the erect, while the medium drooping ear yield was 0.1 
bushel less. The original corn surpassed that with drooping 
ears 0.4 bushel per acre. 
Seed selected from standing stalks outyielded seed from 
lodged stalks by 5.6 bushels per acre, and surpassed the original 
corn 1.6 bushels per acre. 
Since selection from the low ear, drooping ear, and standing 
stalks yielded most in their respective groups, the data suggest 
that a very slight increase in yield might be expected from 
selection for a combination of these characters. This increase 
might approximate three per cent. 
The various lots of seed do not transmit nearly so large a 
type difference as exists between the selected plants upon which 
the seed was grown. 
RELATION OF EAR TYPE TO YIELD OF GRAIN 
During six years, 1914-1917 and 1920-1921, four distinct ear 
types have been selected annually from the standard Nebraska 
White Prize variety and compared for yield. Ten or more ears 
were mixed for the seed of each type. The selection has not 
been continuous, and results indicate the immediate effect of 
selecting ear types in bulk. Under the circumstances, the male 
parentage is entirely uncontrolled and represents a mixture of 
types. The progeny ears of the several types, therefore, do not 
and cannot be expected to differ in the same degree as did the 
seed ears from which they were grown. However, there is 
usually a very apparent tendency in the direction of the special 
selection. The characteristics of both the ears planted and the 
ears harvested as well as the plant characteristics and yields per 
acre are given in Table 49. 
In the six-year comparison with long, slender, smooth ears, 
the long, large, rough ears averaged 5.0 bushels less per acre, 
ripened four days later, and had a 4.7 per cent greater shrink- 
age of ear corn. Short, slender, smooth ears and short, large, 
rough ears yielded practically alike, and intermediate between 
the other two types. The long, slender, smooth type of ear sur- 
passed all the others and yielded 0.8 bushel more than the 
original corn, which is a natural mixture of rough, smooth, and 
intermediate types. These data do not indicate what difference 
would have resulted from prolonged continued selection. 
