304 The Plant World. 



4, 9, or 16 square rods for each of the selected ears, and plant 

 each block with seed from one of the selected plants. 



It is wise in making the planting to reserve at least one- 

 fifth of the seed on each ear, not only for re-planting, if necessary, 

 but so that reference may be made to the exact character of the 

 parent stock. When the corn is coming into silk carefully go 

 over the blocks and select those in which the plants in stalk, 

 leaf, husk, silk, and tassel are most uniformly of the desired 

 character, rejecting the plants which show the greatest variation, 

 even if some of them, as will in all probability be the case, are 

 among the most perfect plants in the field. 



When the com is passing into the dough state go over the 

 selected block and, stripping down the husks, select the blocks 

 in which the ears are most uniformly of the desired varietal 

 character, rejecting, as in the selection of the individual plants, 

 all the ears, no matter how perfect they may be, from the blocks 

 showing the greatest variation. As a rule it will be best to se- 

 lect several blocks in order to avoid the loss in vegetative vigor 

 which, in the com plant, often follows too close breeding. 



From the chosen blocks select a number of the most perfect 

 ears, to be tagged, numbered, kept separate, and again planted 

 in separate blocks the next season. The balance of the corn from 

 the selected blocks can be gathered and the better ears bulked 

 and used the following season for planting the field in which the 

 seed blocks are to be located. 



Working in this way, never losing sight of or changing the 

 ideal varietal characteristics of the sort, always selecting from 

 the most uniform lot, resisting the temptation to use an excep- 

 tionally perfect ear found in a variable block, one can in a few 

 years establish strains which will be greatly superior in practical 

 value to most of the seed now used. 



The second half of the bulletin is de\ oted to the growing 

 of garden beans and peas for seed, and includes important sug- 

 gestions based on experience in the eastern states, in Cailfornia 

 and elsewhere. 



