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  INTRODUCTION 
  TO 
  BOTANY 
  

  

  Corn 
  with 
  high 
  proteins 
  is 
  especially 
  valuable 
  as 
  a 
  food 
  for 
  

   man 
  and 
  the 
  lower 
  animals, 
  since 
  the 
  most 
  serious 
  fault 
  found 
  

   with 
  corn 
  as 
  a 
  cereal 
  food 
  is 
  its 
  low 
  percentage 
  of 
  proteins 
  

   compared 
  with 
  its 
  oil 
  and 
  carbohydrates. 
  Corn 
  with 
  high 
  oil 
  

   value 
  is 
  especially 
  desired 
  by 
  the 
  glucose 
  manufacturers, 
  since 
  

   they 
  also 
  manufacture 
  corn 
  oil, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  highest-priced 
  

   component 
  of 
  the 
  grain. 
  Corn 
  with 
  a 
  low 
  percentage 
  of 
  oil 
  is 
  

   in 
  demand 
  for 
  feeding 
  hogs 
  for 
  bacon, 
  especially 
  for 
  exporta- 
  

   tion. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  possible, 
  at 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Illinois 
  

   Agricultural 
  Experiment 
  Station, 
  to 
  breed 
  low-protein 
  corn 
  

   with 
  an 
  average 
  percentage 
  of 
  6.7 
  proteins, 
  and 
  high-protein 
  

   corn 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  percentage 
  of 
  14.4 
  proteins. 
  At 
  the 
  

   same 
  station 
  the 
  average 
  low-oil 
  corn 
  contained 
  2.5 
  per 
  cent 
  

   of 
  oil, 
  and 
  the 
  high-oil 
  corn 
  7.0 
  per 
  cent. 
  The 
  process 
  of 
  selec- 
  

   tion 
  must 
  be 
  kept 
  up, 
  for 
  the 
  variations 
  thus 
  obtained 
  are 
  not 
  

   permanent 
  varieties. 
  

  

  174. 
  Method 
  of 
  corn 
  breeding. 
  In 
  a 
  general 
  way 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  

   said 
  that 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  breeding 
  corn 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  

   principles 
  as 
  those 
  adopted 
  for 
  wheat 
  and 
  other 
  cereals. 
  There 
  

   are, 
  however, 
  many 
  variations 
  in 
  details, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  depending 
  on 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  plants 
  should 
  be 
  pol- 
  

   linated 
  with 
  pollen 
  from 
  other 
  individuals, 
  but 
  that 
  these 
  

   should, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  possible, 
  be 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  stock. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  

   sufficient 
  that 
  all 
  should 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  variety; 
  the 
  most 
  

   rapid 
  progress 
  will 
  be 
  attained 
  if 
  all 
  the 
  parent 
  plants 
  are 
  

   descended 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  ear 
  of 
  corn. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  give 
  in 
  detail 
  all 
  the 
  methods 
  

   followed 
  in 
  the 
  selection 
  of 
  seed 
  and 
  the 
  precautions 
  taken 
  

   to 
  prevent 
  mixture 
  of 
  varieties 
  in 
  the 
  growing 
  crop. 
  Suc- 
  

   cessful 
  corn 
  breeding 
  demands 
  

  

  1. 
  The 
  choice 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  desirable 
  known 
  variety 
  as 
  a 
  

   basis 
  for 
  breeding 
  for 
  any 
  given 
  purpose. 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  selection 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  well-matured 
  ears 
  from 
  the 
  

   best 
  plants. 
  

  

  3. 
  Growing 
  trial 
  rows 
  the 
  next 
  season 
  from 
  the 
  ears 
  men- 
  

   tioned 
  in 
  paragraph 
  2, 
  each 
  ear 
  planted 
  in 
  a 
  row 
  by 
  itself. 
  

  

  