In Illinois corn fields, as shown in Table 1, below, the number of open ears 
exceeds considerably the number of closed ears, in spite of the practice of selection 
and of any expected equality based on the genetic constitution of the crop, Over a 
Table ly-« Relative abundante of covered and Opén ears in 
| Tllinois corn fields; 1931-19354 
Re Se gran oo See ee oe a a ea = 
“Wumber of ears | Percent ‘of ears 
| Fields f Wars) 
Year ! exams 
exam. Open | Covered} Open | Covered 
; j 
1931 26 74800 5j314 {| 24486 | 6841 3139 
1932 52 7,605 | SjS41 | 2,264 7042 29.8 
1933 51 9,300 } 5,300 | 4,000] 57,0 43.0 
1934 al 13,660 7,693 | 5,967 5643 4337 
1935 78 485880. 8)424 | 7,456 5340 47.0 
Total l 278 “54,245 ' , 
Average 6049 59e1 
period of years, the average ratio of open to closed ears is almost exactly 3 to 2, 
and, although the ratio varies somewhat from year to year, the number of open ears 
exceeds the number of closed ears every year. 
In a given year, considerable variation occurs in the relative number of 
open and closed ears in different fields, even in the same county. In Hancock County, 
for example, 2 fields examined in 1932 gave a ratio of open to covered ears of 4 to 
1 and 2 to 3, and in Jasper County 2 fields gave ratios of 1 to 3 and 1 to 2. In 
1934 and 1935, there was a larger average proportion of covered than of open ears in 
5 fields in Piatt County, the ratio being 5 covered to 4 open ears, and in Edwards 
County in the same 2 years a ratio. of 1.25 covered to 1 open was obtained. 
Whenever the variety of corn in a field could be recognized, it was noted 
‘as a part of the data, and such records are combined in Table 2. Although the number 
of fields examined of each variety is small, a somewhat greater prevalence of covered 
ears is indicated for the Bloody Butcher, Calico, and Democrat varieties, while open 
ears predominate in the Krugg variety. 
[3] 
