MAIZE-GROWING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 125, 13 May 1935, Page 7

MAIZE-GROWING

W I ♦ Results of A. & P. Competition MR. P. A. COLLINGE’S VICTORY The annual maize growing competition conducted by the Hawke’s Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society for a half-acre of maize of any variety wus again carried out this year and was judged on May 10. In all there were live growers, consisting of six entries, this number being one higher than last year. The judge, Mr. J. W. Palmer, comments on the entries as follows:— The crops judged were very good considering tho dry season just experienced. Cultivation in every case had been thoroughly carried out, and some crops, nt the present time, show practically no weed growth, despite the fact of the wet autumn. The yield of the maize crops judged is better than last year and this, no doubt, can be attributed to the thorough cultivation in the earlier part of the season in conserving the moisture content. The cobs seen were well formed and filled and there were few malformed cobs, although trueness to type of variety was not found. Most of the maize being grown in Hawke’s Bay is mingled with other crosses. This, no doubt, is due to the cross pollination and the time is now opportune for new stock to be imported from other countries where selection has been carried out. ’

The method of planting in every case was *good, but one point arises which, no doubt, affects the yield considerably. That is, those growers who plant on the three-feet or four-feet square system and drop four to five seeds at these points, had four good stalks, a cob each. Others probably thinned out considerably more and were contented to grow only two stalks at planting intervals. Here, of course, the yields would be only half of that where four stalks grew. It appears on the heavy soils that a system of planting can be well carried out to grow four or five stalks without any detriment to the size of cob, and that no doubt this will produce a greater yield per acre. A pleasant feature of this year’s competition was that, on ground where maize crops had previously been grown, and where two cwt. of blood and-bone was sown with the crop, the yield was the heaviest recorded for the past three years. Taking this factor into consideration, together with the dry season experienced, the yield recorded must show that the application of this fertiliser has been well warranted.

The varieties grown consisted of two, namely Horsetooth and Marigold.

In carrying out the judging two weighings were made on each entry and the total weights were added together, one poiut being allocated to every pound weighed, in choosing the area to bo judged, the representative average of the crop was made and a square lift, by lift, was chosen. Points were also given for the general appearance, cultivation, and the standard of crop. The winning crop of Mr. P. A. ColJinge was a Horsetooth variety, a very even crop, good height, and with very evenly grown cob. Although his Marigold crop was actually better quality of grain, it did not record .the weight per area weighed. The second crop of Mr. P. McCormack’s Horsetooth was only 41bs. lighter in weight than the first crop. The cobs here were probably not so well filled and the standard of cultivation a little less than that of the winning crop. Cultivation was good, and general appearance quite up to standard. In nearly every case the wind had caused considerable damage by the blowing off of stalks which lay on the ground and in the damp conditions experienced during tho season had commenced germination. Details of the judging and placing# are as follow, points being allotted for general appearance, culture, standard nf cob and grain and weight, in that order. P. A. Collinge (Horsetooth) 9, 10, 374, 102, (1584) J P. McCormack (Horsetooth) 9,9, 37, 98, (153) 2 P. A. Collinge (Marigold) 9, 10, 38, 91, (148) 3 E. 11. Anderson (Horsetooth) 10, 10, 36, 71. (128) .' 4 Greenmeadoz-s Fruit Farm (Marigold) 9, 8 36, 54 (107) 5 R. J. Plant. (Horsetooth) 9,9, 364, 51, (1054) 6