Southern planter - The W&M Digital Archive

1908.] THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 9
ply the needed nitrogen and change the mechanical and
physical condition of his soil to one corresponding more
nearly with the requirements of such a rapidly growing
crop as corn.
Effect of Change of Location.
We have demonstrated that the choicest types of thoroughbred
Western corn, when brought to this section,
are changed materially during a single season of growth,
owing to the readiness with which corn adapts itself to
a new environment. By using the native corn for mother
plants and the eastern seed as a source of pollen, it was
thought that desirable changes could be brought about
much more readily than by bringing in thoroughbred
Western seed and attempting to adapt it to a new
environment. The value of this method seems to be
justified by our results, and the practice involved to
effect improvement is so simple that it can be adopted
on any farm and, if systematically pursued by all our
corn growers for a year or two and rigid selection followed
thereafter, the yield can unquestionably be
increased quite markedly for a comparatively small out
lay in the beginning.
The variety selected wsa a local strain of Learning corn,
which had been grown on the College farm for many
years without any definite attempt at selection. The ear
was very solid, but the strain was lacking in uniformity,
desirable type of ear, and depth of grain. The average
measurement of twenty ea'rs indicated that the length of
twenty-five grains was about 11.29 inches, and the per
cent, of protein about 8.38. The plan of improvement
was as follows: A thoroughbred strain of the same
variety was obtained from the West. The ears of this
corn were larger and more uniform in type and the
grains were of greater depth. The work was carried on
with forty ears, (twenty ears of the local and twenty ears
of the improved strain being used. These ears were numbered
from one to forty, and the native corn was given
the odd numbers, and the Western corn the even num-
bers. The ears were all planted in separate rows in the
breeding plat in regular order from one to forty, so that
in no case were two ears of the same strain of corn
planted side by side. A piece of uniform land was surveyed
off, making exactly two-thirds of an acre. Each
ear occupied a space of 10x100 links, or 1-100 of an acre.
The seed was planted in hills 39.6 inches in each direction
and two stalks were left to the hill.
A review of the data presented indicates that starting
with not more than forty ears of corn it would be possi-
ble, through selection, to obtain an unlimited number of
strains, all presenting some of the characteristics of a
given variety and yet, withal, possessed of striking differences
as to the character and shape of the ear, the size,
shape and quality of the grain, the straightness of the
rows, the covering of the butt and tip, the firmness of
cob and grain, size and character of stalk, earliness and
lateness, per cent, of grain to cob and total crop, number
of grains per ear, and the weight per individual ear.
These are but a few of the physical variations thait appear
in working with a comparatively small number of ears
of corn of a variety that has been in existence and sup-
posedly standardized for years and years.
These facts show that to. effect evolution by 'this method
it is necessary to isolate the particular individual possessed
of those special qualities sought. This is a more
difficult undertaking than is generally thought to be the
case, but when the right ears are located, one is then in
position to go forward through systematic selection and
perpetuate a sort that will give increased yields and
possess many useful characteristics not transmitted with
uniformity by what are regarded as pure strains of the
variety. It must be apparent to all that the strain of
corn has a wonderful effect; on its utility, and that thousands
of strains are on the market of supposedly stand-
ard breeding which fall far below the requirements of
that variety, and it is due to this fact that there is such
a strife over their use in many localities, for it has been
demonstrated on our experimental plats that several
strains of a given variety grown even in a single state
possess widely different characteristics, some desirable
and some equally objectionable. The choice of a strain,
therefore, is a matter of serious concern, as it now
appears that the progeny of only three ears out of all
those so carefully selected and tested in our breeding plat
are worthy of permanent preservation and selection, yet
the work involved in two years in handling and recording
the qualities of hundreds of ears has been enormous.
The yield varied with the forty ears in 1905 from 2S.14
to 57.26 bushels, a difference of 29.12 bushels. Two sea-
son's work shows that some of the ears have the ability
of transmitting their desirable qualities while others vary
widely. Out of the whole lot there are only three strains
which impressed us as worthy of perpetuation These
were ear No. 11, which made a yield of 46.53 bushels in
1905 and 72.99 bushels in 1906; ear No. 23, which made
a yield of 41.73 bushels in 1905 and 78.46 bushels in 1906;
and ear N'o. 35, which made a yield of 54.94 bushels in
1905 and 81.69 bushels in 1906. Notice that these three
ears made a substantial increase in the yield per acre the
second year from planting, and they have retained all the
desirable characteristics of the original ears planted,
together with the grafted quality of high yields and
uniformity in type and ability to transmit the most valu-
able qualities from one generation to another.
The foregoing data is presented for the study of the corn
grower, and if he will follow some of the deductions which
may properly be drawn from the work, he will learn much
that will be helpful to him, and it will do more for the
permanent betterment of the corn crop than anything else,
because it will convince him of the wide variability of
corn under different conditions, of the individual charac-
teristics, good and bad, which are evidenced, and the fact
that the master of the situation—ithat is, the trained
human being—can dominate it and increase or decrease,
add to or take away from the desirable and undesirable
qualities of the corn plant, and so materially affect the
yield of his crop if he undertakes the work intelligently.
ANDREW M. SOULE.
(To be continued.)
CORN FODDER AND LIME.
Editor Southern Planter:
I am in hearty sympathy with your campaign for the
careful saving of the whole of the corn crop. I believe
that In every part of our section the entire plant is worth