The Southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1895-1909, 1902-06-01
Improving the Nutrient Val.
ue of Corn

1t has been the aim of the ex.
pertinent stations all over the
country to endeavor, if possible,
to increase The nutrient value of
corn. Corn, though such uni
versal feed for animals, is not,
when fed exclusively, a properly
balanced food. That IS, it's pro-
portion of Car bohydrates and fat
to protein is in excess to what is
required to meet the necessity of
the animal economy when called
upon to perform work in it's var
ious forms. Being aware of this
fact, the intelligent feeder sup
PIGMENTS portion of corn in a
food ration with some other ma
terial having higher content of
nutrient substance in which corn
is deficient, which, in reality is
protein.
In trying to improve the con-
dltlon of corn. or. in other words
to improve its balance as food
ration, it has been the object of
our agricultural investigators to
increase the percentage of pro-
TENS and fats at the expense OF
the Carbohydrates, and which, if
it can be satisfactorily accom-
pllshed, means an increas in the
value of the grain itself.
The chemical department of
the Kansas agricultural expert
ment station has for the pastfour
years been making Investigations
into the subject of corn improve
ment through systematic analy-
sis Of different varities, and al
though we have not space to go
into detail, we give the work as
published in Kansas Sta ton bull
letin No. 1O7 which has just been
published.
Corn is deficient in in protein,
and in 1893 experiments were
begun, which are stiliin progress
having for their object the origi-
nation of varieties that should be
richer in protein. Thlrty-three
varieties were analyized, and
these showed percentages of
nitrogen ranging from 1.56 to
2.26. Analysis of single ears
of each of two varieties showed
great differences in the nitrogen
content of different cars of the
same variety, the percentages
ranging from 1.53 to 2.24 in a
variety that had been grown for
80 years on the same farm with
out admixture, and from 1.35 to
2.22 in a cross originated the
year previous. Analysis of sire
gle kernals from the same ~
showed considerable differesF
in nitrogen content, though
as great as among different.
of the same variety.
Analysis of large numts
of single kernals, the sp
gravity of which had been d
mined, showed that while Il X.
seems to be a tendency towa
higher nitrogen content WITT
lower specific gravity, there isA
no uniform come ction between
these factors, and therefore corn
richer in nitrogen, cannot be
be separated from that poorer
in nitrogen by means of SPECIFIC
gravity.
From the original thlrtv.three
varities 81 were selected and used
in making crosses by the botanical
department of the station. Each
ear saved was pollenized by hand,
and all other fertilization prevent
ed. The crosses originated in
1899, and in this way were plant
ed in 1899, and each CLOSELY fer
tilted, and the next year those
showing ? per cent. or more of
nitrogen were planted, as a rule.
These were again close fortified
and the ears produced analyzed.
These crosses show high per-
centages of nitrogen in many
cases, and all contain 2 per cent
or more of nitrogen as the aver
age for three years. In twelve
cases the AVERAGE WAS ahoya , 40