MAIZE VARIETY YIELD

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 101, 15 May 1937, Page 19

MAIZE VARIETY YIELD

Tests For Leaf And Cob At Gisborne ELEVEN EXPERIMENTS A trial concerning maize variety yields is being carried out on Mr J. B. Greig's farm. at W aerenga-a-hika hy the Department of Agriculture. Eleven varieties wero planted on November 20, including a strain evolved by Alr Greig, and arr Anstralian variety. The season has been a bad one for an experiment of this kind, but an interim report as a result of a visit paid by Mr E. M. Bates, instructor in agriculture at Gisborne, makes interesting reading. "On account," Mr. Bates. states, "of iate sowing waiting for "varieties from Australia which did not arrive, and also to the late summer and autumn, cold'and wet cenditions and the prevalence of aphi3 nttack, the cobbing has been poor. "This," he added, *'is One of the worst seasons experienced for aphis attack. Early-sown crops are noticeably better than late-sown crops. ' 1 All plots are etoss-f ertilised, and all are showing a percentage of Smutted cobs, The plots were searified six times by the last week in Decembef, and hand-hoed early in Aanuary. A hundred and fifty hoggets were in the maize paddock (nine acres) fer three weeks to control excess weed growing. , They .were remeved on April 13. One row of Hickbfy King was accidentally rooted out by the scarifier early on.' During an inspection last week, Mr.= Bates viewed each variety from the point of "view of growth sfnd leafage for green feed, and also for cobbing, alletting points for each. The table made as a result i's as follows;~ GBEEN FEED. Otumatai Horsetooth , . 10 pts. •Lean's Bpugh Dent ,i 8| Horsetooth • . . . . 6j Hickory King .. - Marigold .... . . . . 5 Early Butler .. .. 4J Excelsior 4 WallingroVe (Aust.) .. . 3 Greig's Early .. .. 3 Silver tjueen .. .. ... 3 Americaii • Early .. ... 0 COBBING^ Early Butler , 10 pts. Greig's Early .. .. 9 Hickory King .. .. .. 5 Local Horsetooth .»• 7j "Wallingrove (Aust.) .. 7 Silver Queen ». .. .4 € Marigold «. .. .. 5 Excelsior . . . . . . „ . 4 American Early .. . . 1 Kean's Bough Dent 1 Otumatai Horsetooth .. 0 NOTES ON VABIETIES. Notes on the varieties in the tTial and of their progress are given as under: — "Greig's Early. — Not a big maize, bnt cobbed fairly weil. Light in stalk, not having a let of green. feed, Very few of the Btalk's With'oii't cobsor signs of 'c6bS. Gobd evefl. getmination and growth, and good cOldur ahd leaf. ''Amefiean Early. — A very Weak rnaizb, light in growth and cobs, weak stallcs, modium cobs. Shows signs oi being the earliest maize. Good even germination with smallCr seed, heavier sowing. Growth as Greig's Early. Slightly paler growth. . "Early Butler. — Not too early, big plump Gobsj cobbed up. fairly well and throwing better than most oi its own type, mediUm. height, moderaely strong growth, appears Oue of the be'sfc if nbt Ihe best. Siightly tailer thafi Greig's Early. Lighter SOtviiig, a9 rough and lafge grain. Vigofoiis aiid good coleur. ' ' Silver Que'eh.— Medium cobhihg, but Strofi'g cobs. Heavier sowing, as it rau mere eveniy. Gbod colonr arid vigorous. Up to standard. "Hickbry King. — Fairly; strong maize, small in cob, wide white flat grain, late maize, gbod cobbing, fait amount of green feed. First row missedi Thinner sowing, being a large seea. Good' average maize in colour and vigorous. Ev6n. AbOUt Standard. STBENGTH OF GBOWTH. "Excelsior. — Fairly strong growth, but stalks not so robust, spindly and tallj iiot bo well Cobbed. Fairly late. Gdod robust maize but patehy in growth. Good germination. Faif colour. "Kean's Bough Dent. — • Strong growth of stalkr with, however, a large nuUlbOr of barren stalks. CobS not bad, but yield will be low, aS large propoftion of blank stalks. Apparently a poor cobbing maize. Fair germination for big rough grain. Even growth, go63 colour, vigorous. A strong maize. 1 1 Otumatai Horsetooth. — Staunchest maize, strong stalks and growth, but very poor cobbing maize and very few cobs. Good eVen strilce and growth vigorous, but light in colour. "Horsetooth. — Medium to strong growth. Cobbing fair to good. "Marigold.-— Medilinl gfoWth, fair cobbing, more mature than expeoted. Even strike and growth. Growth and colour fair. A finer maize. "Wallingrove. — Bather earlier than most. Cobbing fair to gOOd, small eoba. Satisfactory for green feed.