46 [ ASSEMBLY 
Comment upon these surprising results, counter to what would a 
priori have been argued from what might have seemed in advance 
sufficient data, is unnecessary, and it would not be proper at this time 
to endeavor to draw deductions from a single trial, which, however 
resulting, would not suffice for generalization. And yet [ am fain to 
say, that had the.results showed generally straight ears in one case, and 
generally distorted in the other case, influenced by my predilections, it is 
quite probable that I should attempt a generalization, which now, 
from stronger data than I should assume, seems to my present caution 
insufficient. 
We publish our figures: One hundred ears were taken haphazard 
form the merchantable ears,and these ears carefully sorted, the ears 
perfect at the butt, perfect at tip, ete. The computation reads, pro- 
duced : ; 
Yield of seed from Yield of seed from 
perfect ears. imperfect ears. 
Of ears perfect at butt...... 2.6.2... 18 per cent. 24 per cent. 
. Of ears slightly open at butt........ 34 “6 36 “ 
Of ears manifestly imperfect.... ... 48 6 40 « 
Of ears ‘perfect at tips... . 43.) a.’ 18 ‘“ 95 ‘ 
Of ears imperfect at tip............ 82 < 5 ce 
Butts AND TIPS FOR SEED. 
The custom of rejecting the butt and tip kernels from the selection 
of seed corn is an almost universal practice among our more careful 
farmers who exercise concern about their seed. In an experiment 
designed to determine the influence of the butt and tip kernels used 
as seed, normal ears of Waushakum corn were taken and planted ker- 
nel by kernel on two plats in eight rows, each kernel occupying in the 
row the relative position it occupied on the ear. One ear was thus 
diagrammed on unmanured soil, the other upon soil which received 
400 pounds of Bowker’s hill and drill phosphate per acre. These two 
plats were so situated that the butt kernels commenced upon the north 
and south end respectively, the kernels being planted toward the cen- 
ter, leaving a space of several yards between the tip kernels of each 
ear. ‘The seed was planted May 31, the drills forty-two inches apart, 
the kernels one foot apart in the drill. It was supposed that under 
this method of planting any divergence of growth would become at 
once manifest to the eye, and change in time of bloom, or ripening, 
as between the product of each kernel if influenced by location of the 
kernel upon the cob, could be readily perceived and noted. We were 
able, however, to discern but little, if any, difference during growth. 
In the kernels on the unmanured plat fewer of the butt and tip corns 
vegetated than from the ear planted on the manured plat, while upon 
both plats the vegetation of the central kernels was nearly perfect. 
Vegetation appeared June 10, uniformly over both plats, on July 25 
the tassels showed uniformly over the plats, on July 29, marked as in 
bloom, and no perceptible difference as between the centers and ends 
of the rows. ‘lhe corn was left standing until October 5, when the 
director and his assistants husked each plant, laying its own yield 
upon the ground alongside each plant, and made the following figures: 
ae 
