274 TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY REPORT. 
Some sections of the Annual Report for 1886 read like extracts 
from the most progressive corn breeders’ bulletins of 1906. It was 
lack of appreciation and utilization, rather than lack of good work 
in securing them, which led to dearth of results from Station con- 
clusions along some lines of corn growing. 
Planting.— Practically all the possible combinations and varia- 
tions that could be used in planting the seed were tested at some 
time during the first eight years of the Station’s activity. As the 
results of most of these tests were shown to depend much upon the 
character of the soil and season, they need not be discussed in detail. 
On the heavy soil of the Station the best results were always 
secured by planting less than four inches deep, and in cool and 
moist seasons at two inches or even less. The deep planting was 
injurious through its early effect,#1 preventing germination or 
emergence of the plants. The stalks that did appear from depths 
below four inches bore larger individual crops, but their number was 
so lessened that the total harvest was reduced. 
In tests” of different treatment of the soil over the seed varying 
from loose covering to hard packing, the results favor compression 
of the soil. It was held that in a dry season, the gain from the 
use of a planter with wheels following the dropper, to compress 
the soil over the kernels, would be sufficient to justify the purchase 
of the machine. 
The advantage of planting in hills over sowing in drills or broad- 
cast was indicated clearly in several tests,2* and the best distance, 
for the Station soil and conditions, was found to be about 3% feet 
by 3% feet, with three or four kernels to the hill. Thicker plant- 
ing than this was almost without exception followed by deteriora- 
tion in the quality of the crop more than sufficient to overcome 
any slight gain in quantity. A smaller number of plants in the 
hill reduced the yield, though it slightly increased the number of 
sound ears borne by individual plants. Rather peculiarly, it did 
not decrease the number of unsound ears, since the few plants 
produced more suckers bearing soft ears. 
Fertilizing and cultivating— Many tests were made along these 
lines, but the net result is nothing. Deep or shallow cultivation, 
_ frequent or rare stirring of the soil, use or non-use of complete 
chemical fertilizers cr of separate ingredients gave no consistent 
* Rpt. 2:138 (1883). 
* Rpt. 5:46 (1886). 
** Rpt. 2:135-137 (1883) ; 3:101 (1884); 5:46, 47 £1886) ; &:260-763 (18890). 
