54 [ ASSEMBLY 
Fertilizer. Hills. 
l C3. 800 lbs, 3x3, not root pruned............. 39.1 9.8 48.9 
C 4. 800 lbs. 8x2, root pruned........... ve ved) Raid 200 143.2 
These trials cannot be considered as possessing much value. The 
results are not only contradictory, but the total yield is too small. 
Unfortunately a heavy clay came to the surface in this region of our 
field, and as a consequence, while B 1, an unmanured plat adjoining, 
of inferior.seed, yielded 49.3 bushels of merchantable, and 2.8 bushels 
of unmerchantable corn ; 52.1 bushels total yield, the heavily man- 
ured plat yielded but 46.6 bushels of merchantable, and 12.1 bushels 
of unmerchantable; or a total of 58.8 bushels of corn. Even this 
heavy manuring was unable to overcome the physical incapacity of the 
soil, as is evidenced by the crop, as was also evidenced to the sight 
during the whole period of growth. Plat C 11 suffered less severely 
from the clay irruption, and consequently the two bushels gained, 
which might be ascribed by some to the cultivation, has but little sig- 
nificance. C 4, yielding so much small corn, gives testimony against 
the value of excessive root pruning in a soil which breaks in lumps 
rather than becomes friable under cultivation. 
CoRN HYBRIDIZATION. 
The subject of hybridization in plants is one that is by no means 
clear. In the corn plant it is a universal belief among farmers, in 
which I have myself shared, that. the influence of growing varieties 
together is to be seen in the hybridized kernels on the ears of 
the same year’s yield. We have as yet no Station data whereby 
this belief can be verified. The Waushakum corn, the only variety 
whose history we know, is a pure corn, a pedigree corn, and has the 
confirmed habit of running true to its seed. In growing this variety 
along with many others, while we must believe that hybridization has 
been effected, yet we have been unable to find one single clear case of 
its presence being manifest in the kernels of the ears. On the other 
hand, other varieties of seed corn, varieties of whose purity we know 
nothing save the appearance of the kernels planted, have given us 
many examples of hybridization. Thus, for one instance, that peculiar 
variety, variously’ known as husk corn, pod corn, wild corn, Paraguay 
corn, etc., has furnished ears without any husk to the kernels, other 
ears containing kernels but slightly husked, other ears containing 
both husked and bare kernels, and the kernels themselves varying In 
their character from sweet corn, through the dents, to occasionally an 
apparent flint corn. The planting next year of the apparently unaf- 
fected Waushakum corn, as well as the use of the hybridized kernels 
of similar kinds for seed, will undoubtedly indicate to us the result of 
this year’s hybridization, if any. We may, however, believe, subject 
to final proof, that there is a little stability of character in the varieties 
of corn as generally used; all more or less sharing the results of 
hybridization, except as kept in check through continuous selection. 
The influence of hybridization on corn seed has been quite marked 
in a number of other instances. A fine appearing sample of white 
pop-corn, labeled ‘‘ Egyptian pop,” produced at harvest seven varieties 
which could well receive, if sorted out, distinct names as being differ- 
