New YorK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 271 
each of the varieties, as to grain and straw, period of growth, vigor, 
stooling ability, disease resistance, yield and weight per bushel. 
Botanical studies were also made, based on the above and other 
characters, and a key’ worked out to aid in the identification of 
the different varieties. Of the varieties tested, Chevalier and Man- 
shury appear to be the only ones now in common cultivation. 
In connection with these botanical studies, it is interesting to note 
that a case is recorded® in which the progeny of a hybrid barley 
split up into four distinct varieties, without imtermediate forms or 
colors. This was undoubtedly in accordance with Mendel’s law. 
Attention was called to the fact that by growing seed from a single 
head, an improved strain or a new variety might be developed in 
two or three years; but no work appears to have been done along 
this line. Such an observation by Nilsson lies at the foundation 
of the recent great advance in Swedish barley and oat growing. 
In culture, only two experiments are recorded. In one of these,?® 
extreme cultivation; i. e. spading beside rows sown wide apart and 
with seeds thinly scattered in the row, did not apnear to affect the 
yield of grain, but reduced the amount of straw very greatly. 
In the other test,!° barley was cut at three cifferent dates, a week 
apart, to note the effect upon the grain. Tl-e late cutting uniformly 
gave heavier grains than the early cutting, and in a majority of the 
cases, heavier than the second cutting. In other words, the barley 
plants should be fully mature when cut and the seeds well ripened, 
to secure the heaviest yields. 
CORN. 
During the early years of Station work much attention was paid 
to corn by the Director. His careful and comprehensive studies 
on the history and botany of maize form the basis of all recent 
classifications of the species and varieties of this best known and 
most valuable American plant. Seed was secured not only from 
all the leading corn breeders and seedsmen of North America and 
from different Indian tribes of the West and Southwest, but also 
from various sources in Mexico, Central and South America, France 
and Africa. During the years 1883 and 1884 about 125 varieties 
were grown and studied. These were placed! by Dr. Sturtevant in 
“Rpt. 3:387 (1884). 
* Rpt. 3:81, 82 (1884). 
Rpt. 2 335) Gkoo2). 
” Rpt. 6:64 (1887). 
"Rpts. 3:156-188 (1884); 4:64-71 (1885). 
