LI E> RAR.Y OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS WON CIRCULATING CHECK FOR UNBOUND 0? ROUUTING COPY .CIRCULATING CHECK FOR UNBOUND CIRCULATING COPY, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, Agricultural Experiment Station. URBANA, MARCH, 1896. BULLETIN NO. 42. CORN EXPERIMENTS, .895. Experiments with corn conducted at this Station x and reported in this bulletin are comprised under the following numbers and titles : No. i. Corn, Testing Varieties. No. 3. Corn, Time of Planting. No. 5. Corn, Thickness of Planting. No. 23. Rotation Experiment. No. 90. Corn, Rate of Growth. For the benefit of those who desire to consider the effect of meteorological conditions upon the experiments reported there is given on the next page a table of temperatures and rainfall as observed at this Station from January, 1889, to December, 1895, inclusive. Experiment No. i. Corn, Testing Varieties. LAND. The ground used in this experiment is deep, rich prairie soil, nearly level, and is as uniform as it was possible to select, any differ- ence being in favor of the end at which the line in the diagram- indicates the location of a tile drain. Plats i to 80, inclusive,, occupy the ground that was used for the same experiment the year previous, and the last crop on plats 81 to 100 was wheat. It was plowed in the fall and well disked and harrowed before planting. 164 BULLETIN NO. 42. METEOROLOGICAL RECORDS, 1889-1895. TEMPERATURE, DEGREES, FAHRENHEIT. [March, 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 January. February. March. April. Mean. Max. Min. Mean. Max. Mm. Mean. Max. Min. Mean. Max. Min. 29.28 33-5 30.26 19.2 14.8 29.4 19-5 57 66 57 57 48 64 57 -2 -5 6 -15 * -21 23.36 34.66 30-45 33 25.8 24-7 17.9 53 68 61 55 5i 58 65 -7-5 7 -9 * * -5 -20.5 39"9 2 33-35 32.55 36.1 37-8 43-5 35-9 72 61 65 69 76 77 84 18 2 -I * * IO 7 51-9 52.32 52.78 48 6 49-3 5L4 52.3 75 81 81 70-5 75 85 88 25 29 22 26 30 25 27 If hole period . . 25-13 66 *-2I 27.12 68 *-20 . 5 37-01 84 *-i 51.22 88 22 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 May. June. July. August. Mean. Max. Min. Mean. Max. Min. Mean. Max. Min. Mean. Max. Min. 59-2 58-27 58.4 57-9 57-4 59- 6 59-4 91 8? 91 82 84 89 95 28 33 30 36 37 32 28 65-5 74-56 71.9 70.6 70.5 73-4 73-3 88 96 93 94 93 97 98-5 40 47 49 51 53 34 42 72.7 73-02 70.12 73-3 76.4 73-8 71-3 90-5 97-5 93 96.5 98 98 94 50 45 42 46 48 47 43 69.2 68.74 70.21 71-5 71.1 72 3 73 2 89 96 99 94 96 99 97 29-5 44-5 40 47 37 4i 48 Whole period. . 58.60 95 28 71-39 98.5 34 72-95 98 42 70.89 99 29.5 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 September. October. November. December. Mean. Max. Min. Mean. Max. Min. Mean. Max. Min. Mean. Max. Min. 61.32 60.46 69.2 63-9 66.5 65 67.7 87-5 89 96 8? 97 94 94 32 33 41 42 31 38 32 47.26 52.07 51-3 53-6 53 3 51.9 45-9 82 76 88.5 88.5 84 84 75 25 27 27 19 1 8 28 12 36.82 42.62 35.69 34-8 37-3 35-9 38.2 62 68 67 64 75 6? 73 4 21 2 7 6 12 4 42.71 30.91 37 27-7 30 32-9 3i-i 66 58 60 60 63 59 59 15 8 II -7 -6 -4 -2 Whole period.. 64.86 97 ! 3i 50.76 88.5 12 37 33 75 2 33-19 66 -7 RAINFALL, INCHES. Jan. Feb. Mar. April May. June. July- Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Year. i88g 1.48 2.08 1.61 .61 5-52 6.81 5-81 .60 2.74 1.42 4-38 1.82 34.88 1890 5.26 1.87 2.70 4 .11 3-56 3-80 2.83 1-93 1.19 2-35 I 63 05 31.28 1891 99 2.60 3-55 3-54 .89 2.08 1.41 2.86 .41 1.29 5-58 i 53 26.73 1892 79 2.64 2-59 6-45 7.86 5.36 2.50 2-45 93 93 4-95 1.62 39-05 1893 1.05 4.48 3.20 7.68 4-83 1-55 59 .06 3.62 1.14 2.98 1.09 32-37 1894 1-95 1.32 2.41 1.86 3-32 1.78 1-08 2.06 4.21 5i 2-77 1-44 24 72 1895 1.36 52 .70 2.42 2. 2O 2.24 3.61 1.81 5-27 .21 3 07 5 7 1 29. 12 Ave. . 1.84 2.21 2-39 3-8i 4-O2 3-37 2-54 1.68 2 62 I. 12 3.62 1.89 .31.16 *Record incomplete. 1896.] FIELD EXPERIMENTS WITH CORN, 1895. DIAGRAM OF PLATS. i6 5 100 99 98 X 97 96 yt 94- 93 X ae 91 90 89 88 X 87 86 85 84- X 83 32 81 77 72 69 65 61 t>7 * S3 49 45 41 37 33 X 9 X 25 Zl 17 J3 9 X S X X 78 74- 70 66 ^X 58 54 50 46 42 33 34 5O 26 22 /d /4 IO 6 2 79 75 71 67 /63 39 55 5/ 47 43 39 33 3/ 27 23 /9 /5 // 7 3 80 76 72 64- 60 56 52 4-8 44- 40 36 32 28 24 20 X. /6 /2 8 4 TREATMENT. The accompanying diagram gives the position of the varieties under experiment each occupying a plat two rods square. All were planted the same date, in hills 3 ft. 8 inches apart each way, and were cultivated and treated alike in every particular. At a height of about six inches the crop was thinned to four stalks a hill. The entire area was surrounded by growing corn. The plats marked thus x were planted to the'same variety, Boone county white. Identical treatment of all varieties is open to objection. That form pursued here is manifestly unjust to both the very early and the very late. Any date which may be selected for planting subjects some varieties to possible unfavorable conditions. To say the least they are not the same to which they would be sub- jected under ordinary circumstances. Any uniform distance of planting will be unnecessarily great for the early and smaller varieties and tend to reduction of yield, or it will be unfavorably close for the gigantic later sorts or both. It is a question too whether the extremes are fully supplied with pollen, certainly not with the superabundance attending the period of fertilization of the medium varieties. ' These medium varieties seemed to be favored not only by climatic conditions but by the necessary circumstances of experiment, because any attempt to equalize opportunities by closer planting or by special conditions is mani- festly not feasible. MATURITY. All varieties maturing before September I5th are classed as early, those maturing between September I5th and October ist as medium, and those maturing after October >st as late. It is cer- tainly remarkable that under fairly uniform conditions of soil and treatment the same variety when raised on neighboring plats should range from early to late. See Diagram and Table I, Boone county white. It is suggestive in this connection that from what- 1 66 BULLETIN NO. 42. [March, TABLE i. VARIETIES OF CORN, THEIR CHARACTERISTICS. Name of variety. Source of seed. Boone county white Boone county white Boone county white Boone county white Boone county white Boone county white Boone county white Boone county white Boone county white Boone county white Boone county white Boone county white Boone county white Brown Burr's white Burr's white-cranberry, cross . Calico Champion white pearl Champion white pearl (r.) . . . Champion white pearl (j.; Champion white pearl, cross . . Champion yellow dent Clark's Iroquois Charles Cloud John Cloud Conqueror Crowder Cuban Queen Davis' improved Dungan's white prolific Early Butler Early eclipse Early golden Cable Early Iowa Early Learning ~. Early mastodon. Edmonds Edmonds-Burr's white, cross. . Edmonds-Murdock, cross Extra early Adams Extra early Huron ... First premium Fisk's white Flour corn Forsyth's favorite J. J. Freeland Golden beauty Golden beauty-Learning, cross Golden beauty-Learning, cross, Golden dent Golden seal Hickory king Experiment Station Farm Experiment Station Farm Experiment Station Farm Experiment Station Farm Experiment Station Farm Experiment Station Farm Experiment Station Farm Experiment Station Farm Experiment Station Farm Experiment Station Farm Experiment Station Farm Experiment Station Farm James Riley, Thorntown, Ind. . . . J. B. Martin, Atwood, 111 F..E. Burr, Philo, 111 Experiment Station Farm C. W. Bush, Putnam, 111 J. C. Suffern, Voorhies, 111 W. T. Freeland, Windsor, 111 W. T. Freeland, Windsor, 111 Experiment Station Farm J. C. Suffern, Voorhies, 111 Experiment Station Farm W. T. Freeland, Windsor, 111 W. T. Freeland, Windsor, 111 N. B. & G. Co., Minneapolis W. T. Freeland, Windsor, 111 Nims Bros., Emerson, Iowa L. H. Davis, Earlville, 111 Plant Seed Co., St. Louis, Mo J. C. Suffern, Voorhies, 111 Plant Seed Co., St. Louis Plant Seed Co., St. Louis E. A. Riehl, Alton, 111 J. H. Beagley, Sibley, 111 J. A. Everitt, Indianapolis H. P. Edmonds, Taylor, 111 Experiment Station Farm Experiment Station Farm D. M. Ferry & Co., Detroit, Mich.. Ford & Son, Ravenna, Ohio, J. A. Everitt, Indianapolis E. C. Fisk, Havana, 111 Wm. H. Maule, Philadelphia J. A. Everitt, Indianapolis W. T. Freeland. Windsor, 111 W. W. Barnard & Co., Chicago... . Experiment Station Farm Experiment Station Farm Jas. Moore, Hanover, 111 J. A. Everiit, Indianapolis W. W. Barnard & Co., Chicago White White White White White White White White White White White White White White White White R.&W. White White White White Yellow Late Medium Medium Late Early Late Medium Medium Lale Late Late Medium Late Medium Early Medium Medium Late Medium Early Medium Medium Yellow Medium White Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow White White Yellow Yellow Yellow White Yellow Yellow Yellow White Yellow White Yellow White White White White White Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow White Medium Medium Medium Medium Early Early Medium Early Medium Late Early Medium Medium Early Early Medium Very earl j ry early Medium Late Late Late Medium Medium Medium Late Early Early Early 1896.] FIELD EXPERIMENTS WITH CORN, 1895. STALKS, EARS, AND YIELDS OF SHELLED CORN PER ACRE, 1895. I6 7 Height, in. Stalks. Ears. r ? Shelled corn. P tr P" S n 1 * - * 2 S.|g, . . W cc p $ X 0-0. o ^j * earl, rough. 44.5 Chas. Cloud 37.6 Dungan's white prolific 44-5 First premium 39-8 Illinois early white dent 44-3 Little boss 60.9 Premium white , 96.3 . Short stalk 54 . i i Ohio Hendren 67.3 j ....-! Queen of the prairie.. . 68.7 > 70.! ( Star 76.5 1 Early golden cable 68. 6 Mortgage lifter 57-7 Pride of Saline 83.7 Yantis ....,..,.. 85.4 \ Flour corn 60.4 > th "" | Macoupin county white 96.5 i 7B '- { Champion white pearl 100.3 "1 Fisk's white 44-3 I Forsyth's favorite 67.7 > 55 . t St. Charles white 23.7 Van Meter's white 30.6 ) 1896.] FIKLI) EXPERIMENTS WITH CORN, 1895. i;i ever cause this variation within the variety arose it was connected with the yield, for the one plat classed as early gave a yield of 49.8 bu.; the five classed as medium, an average yield of 69.5 bu.; and the seven classed as late, an average yield of 79.2 bu. The suggestion is that the labor the corn plant is able to do is to a considerable extent dependent on the time through which its energies are extended. This principle has support from Table 2 in which the varieties classed as late have upon the average the highest yield, even though two or three suffered from failing to mature. Except in 1892 and the present year, the highest yield has been from the medium maturing varieties, the average yields for eight years being early 56.2; medium 65.1; and late 59.8; from which we infer that the chief danger for late varieties is interrup- tion by frost before their labors are finished, but that they have the capacity for the greatest total results. That the late varieties are capable of outyielding all others does not argue for their adoption. The element of certainty that attends the growth of medium maturing varieties more than com- pensates for the possible greater average of later sorts in favorable seasons. The ability to produce a paying crop in an unfavorable season is a chief recommendation for a variety, even though for a period of years its yield might be exceeded by a later sort. COLOR. Contrary to the general fact the yellow varieties largely out- yielded the white in 1895, the yellow varieties yielding an average of 71.8 bu., and the white, 55 bu. Up to this time the average yield for all yellow varieties for seven years was 60.3 bu., and for all white varieties 61.8 bu. BARRKX STALKS. Actual count was made of the number of fruitful stalks, of barren stalks, and the total number of ears upon so much of each plat as would constitute one one-hundredth of an acre. These numbers multiplied by 100 appear in Table I as the approximate figures per acre. The reader will be struck by the increased number of barren stalks, amounting to 13 per cent., and will ask: What is the cause? Is it due to a circumstance that may be controlled, or is it an attendant end that must be endured? Are certain varieties more afflicted with barrenness than others? A casual glance at Table I would give this impression, but exceeding wide variations in this matter are seen within the single variety, Boone county white. 1/2 BULLETIN NO. 42. The Sanford flint variety with 9300 barren stalks also shows the largest total number of stalks, with one exception the largest number of ears, and a very satisfactory yield. This strongly sug- gests that suckers freely appeared, for in thinning to four kernels to the hill the total number of stalks to the acre is less than 13,000. Whether we are to look upon suckers, improper fertiliza- tion, or other accident as the great source of barren stalks, or whether there be an inherent tendency from the seed are interest- ing questions, yet unanswered, and are questions upon which the Station is working. NUMBER OF EARS TO THE STALK. Upon comparing the total number of fruitful stalks with the number of ears produced per acre it is evident that the rule is that one stalk produces but one ear and that there are by no means enough twin ears to make good the number of barren stalks. The fact that in a few cases the number of ears is less than the number of estimated fruitful stalks shows an error at some point in the work, and most likely it is that a few barren stalks escaped notice. Manifestly the column showing total number of stalks per acre is least open to error, and that showing barren stalks the most fruit- ful of error by oversight. YIELDS. The corn was husked by hand, care being taken to secure all ears and nubbins. The weight of ear corn, cobs, and of shelled corn was taken immediately and a quart sample from each plat was put in glass cans for determination of moisture. This work was performed in duplicate by Mr. C. G. Hopkins, chemist of the Station. The final yields are expressed in terms of air-dry grain, containing eleven per cent, of moisture. It will not do to credit all these variations in yield to varietal differences. A glance at the wide differences in the yield of Boone county white will confirm the truth of this statement. So unaccountable are these extreme variations in yield that it seems necessary to resort to systematic duplication, reducing the num- ber of varieties if need be to give anything like a just comparison for a single season. While yields vary greatly with the season it is likely true that those of different varieties do not vary together; that is to say, that different varieties of corn, like different plats of ground, are differently affected by season. It is therefore only after a long series of years and from plant- ings in a variety of plats that anything like a true comparison can be established. The yields of the more prominent varieties for several years and from different plats are given in Table 3. I8q6.j V lEl.lt EXPERIMENTS WITH CORN", 1895. 173 TABLE 3. YIELD IN BUSHELS OF AIR-PRY CORN FOR A SERIES OK YKARS. Varieties. 1888. 1889. 1890. 1891 . 1892. 1893- 1894. 1895. Ave. Champion white pearl, Learning 70.0 86.6 94-8 80.6 74-9 69.4 76.5 67.3 65.0 70.1 37-3 34-6 51.0 62.1 100.3 80.0 71.2 68.6 Burr's white . ... 85.Q 75.7 67.7 67.7 64.2 38 6 60 7 7Q. 2 68.6 Clark's Iroquois Legal tender 68.5 84.2 81.9 68.9 59 60 65.4 56.8 72.9 60.3 30.7 33.8 44 3 57. 102.5 8 9 65.6 61.7 Murdock . .... 8o.1 65.0 61.6 59-8 57 .6 ac .7 48 I 8s Q 6T.7 Edmonds 83.7 66.3 "55.9 58.6 58.4 28.^ CJ.. -3 86.1 61 .4. Riley's favorite 81.8 66.1 ?3-3 56.1 74-i 38.1 62.8 52.2 60.5 Varieties. 1890. 1891. 1892. 1893- 1894. 1895- Ave. Boone county white. . 74 6 89.3 85.5 33-8 74 1 71 2 71.8 Champion white pearl 74 Q 76.5 65 -17 . a CT 100 3 67 5 Burr's white. . . . . 67 7 67.7 - 6d 2 38 6 60 7 7Q 2 64 5 Learning w / 60.4 67 . ^ 7O I 04.6 62 I 80 o 6l Q Clark's Irocjuois en 6;.4 72 .Q 1O 7 -i/i i IO2 5 62 s Legal tender . . . . 60 O 56 8 60 1 11 8 57 O 89 o 5Q 5 Murdock 61.6 59-8 57.6 15.7 48.1 85.Q 58.1 Edmonds sc q 58.6 58.4 28.3 cj a 86 i 56.8 Riley's favorite. . C-I .-3 D , 56.1 74 I 38 I 62 8 K2.2 56 I Golden beauty.. . 5l.o 75.8 61. i 16.4 11.6 ! 18.0 4Q.6 Experiment No. ?. Time of Planting. Nine plantings of the same variety of corn were made at dif- ferent dates one week apart, and at different rates of seeding from two stalks per hill to five, inclusive. Although an excess of seed was planted to be thinned when six inches high, in but few cases was a full stand secured and the actual seeding is less than the plan provided. See Table 4. The land for all plantings had been treated the same for many years. It had raised a crop of corn the previous -season, and each planting was on ground freshly plowed and harrowed. All plantings were cultivated with the same tool and upon the same day excepting that plantings .6 and .7 were rolled, and 7 and 8 were harrowed before cultivating. A killing frost on May 14, cut the first and second plantings to the ground, a disaster from which they never fully recovered. The different plantings show marked differences in disposition to attain size, and the attempt was made to secure comparative growth in terms of height of plant. Though it is difficult to ex- press such data accurately in figures the results given are the averages of many measurements, and express fairly well the de- velopment of the different plantings. See Table 5. The first planting attained a height of 10 inches within 39 days after planting. That of May 6th passed this point sometime between the 25th and the 3ist day, and practically with the first i planting made 14 days before, whose development it exceeded and 174 BULLETIN NO. 42. [March, TABLE 4. RESULTS FROM PLANTING ON DIFFERENT DATES AND WITH VARYING AMOUNTS OF SEED, 1895. 2 ?f 2 o Date of planting. Stalks per hill. Per cent. full stand. Field wt. ear corn. Wt. shelled corn. Per cent. Yield, bu. air- dry 1 1 % moisture. Cobs. Dry matter, shelled corn. i 2 3 4 * April 22 . . . 5 4 3 2 65.6 63-3 42.7 4-7 34-75 28.75 12.5 i 30 24-75 10.5 -75 13-7 13-9 16 25 87.02 86.62 87 84.76 52 2 42.8 18.2 1-3 5 6 7 8 *April 29 . . . 4 3 92-5 93-7 63-5 62.5 45-25 43-5 26.25 23-5 39 37 22 20 13-3 14.9 16.2 13.8 85-89 86 04 85-25 84.62 67 63.6 37-5 33-8 9 10 ii 12 May 6 . . c 4 o 82.5 91.4 IOO 100 45 25 41-5 46 40 38.25 35-25 39 33-25 15.5 15.1 14.7 16.2 82.76 83-38 83-34 83-90 ^3-3 58.8 65 55-8 13 14 15 1 6 May 13. ... 5 4 3 2 88.8 90.6 93-7 103.1 39-25 36.75 39-5 43-75 33 31-25 33 25 36 5 15.9 14.9 15.2 16.6 81.64 83.65 83-46 82.23 53-8 52.3 55-5 60 17 18 19 20 TIT May 20 I 2 88.1 84.4 92-7 109.4 44-75 40-75 45 5 4i-5 37-75 34-5 38. 34-25 15-6 15-3 16.5 16.9 82.48 82.39 81.64 Si-93 62.2 56.8 62 56.1 21 22 23 24 May 27 5 4 3 2 74-4 63-3 77-i 90.6 37 25-75 32.25 25-5 30.25 20 24-5 19-75 17.6 22.3 23-3 22.5 75-73 72.04 69.31 70 30 45-8 28.8 33 9 27.8 25 26 2? 28 Tune "\ . . 5 4 3 2 69.8 76.6 85.4 79-7 25 23-75 25 19-5 19-75 18.5 19.25 14-75 21 22.1 23 24-4 74.78 72.88 65.72 70.39 29-5 26.9 25.3 20.7 2 9 30 31 32 June 10 5 4 3 2 75.6 23.25 81.2 25 86.5 21 8l.2 22.5 17 18 75 14-75 15 75 26.9 24 29.8 SO' 62.45 66.36 63.27 61 21.2 24.8 18.6 19.2 33 34 35 36 June 17 5 4 3 2 76.9 8l.2 91.7 ' 93-7 22 18.75 24-75 22.5 15-5 13-25 i? 15 29.5 29.3 31-3 33-3 58.70 55-86 63.01 59-64 18.2 14.8 21.4 17.8 * Killed to the ground by frost, May i4th. whose yield it beat by more than 10 bushels per acre. The plant- ing of May 20th reached a height of 10 inches in 17 days from date of planting, and matured with the planting of May 6th, which it practically equaled in yield. With this planting we seemed to have passed the point when the corn was able to gain by rapid development sufficient time for a maximum crop, and although the planting of the 27th equaled it did not appear able to exceed the record of its earlier planted neighbor for rapid early development. It gradually fell behind in yield and was clearly distanced, and all later plantings failed to 1896.] FIELD EXPERIMENTS WITH CORN, 1895. 175 TABLE 5. AVERAGE HEIGHTS AND RATE OF GROWTH OF DIFFERENT PLANTINGS IN INCHES TO TIP OF TASSEL AND LEAF, 1895. Date of planting. Maj- 3i June. July. August. September. 7 14 21 28 5 12 19 26 2 9 16 23 30 6 13 20 April 22 j April 29 \ May 6 j May 13 j May 20 ] May 27 -j June 3 | June 10 j June 17 -j Leaf Tassel 10 18 25 40 57 70 83 77 81 74 73 93 87 99 94 88 69 9i 75 87 70 59 97 95 106 103 104 103 107 104 104 IOO 79 82 61 99 92 105 IO2 105 to? 108 107 107 108 89 98 70 59 64 97 96 105 IOI 105 107 107 106 107 108 97 94 83 86 70 95 95 104 IO2 IO4 106 107 107 107 109 IOI 97 89 9i 78 89 64 93 94 IO2 IOI 103 lO? 105 I O6 106 109 IOI IOI 89 88 81 77 65 60 87 89 93 95 96 IOC 99 103 IOI 106 95 95 87 88 83 8c 68 68 97 94 90 87 86 83 72 72 85 82 73 73 73 77 Leaf... . . . Tassel . . 8 I? 28 44 57 74 Leaf. Tassel . . 7 13 23 36 46 54 Leaf 6 12 21 33 45 60 74 Leaf 4 II 20 3i 44 56 72 Tassel Leaf" 10 13 21 3i 44 Tassel . . Leaf 3 7 12 21 30 42 Leaf Tassel 3 5 IO 17 27 45 Leaf 9 10 16 32 42 55 mature. Moreover these last plantings betrayed a lessened energy in the matter of rapid early growth, a tendency to take on a less complete development and at little or no saving of time. It seemed a clear case of their inability to make a crop, or even to make the most of the time at their disposal. In other words the last plantings did not accomplish so much in a given time as the earlier ones. The average of eight seasons is the same for plantings rang- ing from May 4th to i8th with tendencies slightly favoring the later dates. See Table 6. TABLE 6. RESULTS FROM PLANTING AT DIFFERENT DATES, -1895. Dates. Bushels air-dry corn per acre. 1888. 1889. iSgO. 1891. 1892. 1893 1894. 1895. Ave. April 22-26 52 51 58 20 48 April 27~May 4 80 44 67 co 72 60 CQ 60 May 4-11 87 51 71 48 70 47 61 61 62 " 11-18 86 56 75 50 63 48 60 55 62 " IQ-2C . 87 5 71 52 66 40 61 CO 61 26 June i 8s 55 74 34 CO 37 40 14 56 June 18 81 CO 61 37 68 -34 42 26 co 8- 1 "5 . 50 CO 60 IQ 4Q 38 21 21 an 17-22 30 22 >2 18 21 Experiment No. 5. Thickness of Planting. The plantings made at successive dates in Experiment No. 3 were made to be thinned to four rates of seeding, viz., 2, 3, 4 and BULLETIN NO. 42. [March, 5 kernels to the hill. In most cases a full stand was not secured, though manifestly less difficulty was encountered with the thinner seedings. Table 7 gives the per cent, of a full or desired stand and the yield of each, disregarding the extreme plantings as outside the range of agricultural practice. It will be noticed that the average yield declines from the greatest to the least seeding, but it will also be noticed that the actual seeding was considerably thinner than the nominal. In three out of the six seedings the 5 kernels (actually but 4^ kernels) was most successful. Once three kernels, and once 2 kernels secured the highest yield, but in both cases the stand was full. TABLE 7.- INFLUENCE OF THICKNESS OF PLANTING UPON YIELD. Date of planting. Per cent, of full stand. Yield. 5 ker.- 4 ker. 3 ker. 2 ker. 5 ker. 4 ker. 3 ker. 2 ker. April 29 92-5 82.5 88.8 88.1 74-4 69.8 93-7 91.4 90.6 84.4 63-3 76.6 63-5 100 93-7 92.7 77.1 85-4 62.5 TOO 103.1 109.4 90.6 79-7 67 63-3 53-8 62.2 45.8 29-5 63.6 58.8 52-3 56.8 38.8 26.9 47-8 37-5 65 55-5 62 33 9 25 3 33-8 55-8 60 56.1 27.8 20.7 42-3 Mav 6 . . May 13 May 20 . . , May 27 Tune ?.. Average 82.7 83.3 85.4 9i 53-6 46-5 In nearly every case more nubbins appeared in the thicker seeding, and generally more good ears in the medium seeding, but the total yield shows a disposition to follow the nubbins rather than the highest number of large ears, although in the seeding of May 1 3th the largest yield accompanied the fewest ears of all, 6900, raised from two stalks to the hill. Planting 3 ft. 8 inches each way provides 3240 hills per acre. This shows that two stalks per hill, each bearing a good ear, are capable of a fair yield of corn, but the result is seldom attained; and most of the fair yields, and all the great ones are from at least 10,000 ears per acre. Experiment No. 23. Rotation Experiment. Table 8 gives full results of experiments with corn in rotation, with oats alone and with both oats and clover, as compared with corn raised continuously both with and without manure. The principal facts are more clearly set forth in Table 9, in which each method is compared with corn raised continuously without manure. i8g6.J FIELD EXPERIMENTS WITH CORN, 1895. 177 Stover, Ib. O O O O O^oo -oo r^O O "-" <* *- f^ N ^- . .,0 > z bu. OO. .OAI^ M sl Crop. ! U l "">">"> 2 o n o o n (JO OU OO UC 6- Stover, Ib. O -00 N O 00 in ct ^ mo H ^i M. .txfOlOOO n n m * >o N X bu. so Si ' iri '5- SJT M u TD Crop. oo rt n o oo OU OO UO OU \ji >, q BO Stover, Ib. iO *> NVNO fO. w Ww MM Grain, m ' mt~ /, bu. . vo oo o . * ci r^ - t E, Crop. 1- M "WC C ( V ui tn C J*u M^ ^*J *-u, .O O^rt rto UO OO OO CO t*. Stover, Ib. oo ^N o^o ir > m ro d c Grain, O* ON oo u% r^ , ". bu. " "vSfo5- io O C. Crop. u u ~> "> CC l/l(/3 (/)(/! Z- o o rt rt rt rt oo oo oo oo Mo ma e Stover, Ib. II II IIP c -00 iOlO Osf^ p^ CO T5 bu. oo- rovot 1 -.^-^- * . . -^ l/ IT IS) M since a, Crop. u u v. * > > F* "> t/)(/) rt o o rt rt rt CO UU UC OC nation Stover, Ib. U-.Q OO O^OCg-* c VO ' ' - *0 M M j 5 u N bu. OO . (N, lj- IO M -T . * vO CO *O M 0, Crop. t, j-, t- ^ "V "> V iC j rt Z- o o rt rt OO 00 OO OC 8* 4- Stover, Ib. R o o M f^oo O 1 " T3'5 c m-4-, ^g-ox U H f 5.3:3 5 ~S< Stover, Ib. O O O O ^ oo O ** O 1 *o o co o ** ""> t^ ^o t^. n a e . - a = o5 a. Grain, bu. tC. in M O* O* O>oo a c "2 T3- -' btover, Ib. o" ro W *O O* O M J S.S-S15 Grain, r>. rf M M m mm d C =- 3 u c /, bu. or** tr ^.9' t ' NO