NATURE WONDERFULLY PROLIFIC. 35 



he is going to have big corn there ; but, when he comes to 

 husk it, he finds there is no corn on that ear. It only shows 

 that Darwin's idea is true, — that self-fertilization of some 

 vegetables and some plants is rather abhorrent to the plant. 



In answer to the remark of the gentleman [Mr. Comins], 

 that he should be afraid, that, by cutting out the stalks, lie 

 would get a good many small ears of corn, I will say, of 

 course I meant to have it understood, that when ears were 

 selected out of that field, just as Mr. Whitaker said, there 

 would be a great many of them rejected. If you are grow- 

 ing seed-corn in that way, you must always expect to get 

 more or less small, imperfect ears ; and if you cut open a 

 stalk of that corn, and examine it carefully with a micro- 

 scope, you will find a number of undeveloped ears of corn 

 in there, which the plant had not the power to develop. That 

 accounts for some of tlie small ears. The plant has de- 

 veloped all that it is able to carry. 



Mr. LiVEEMORE (of IMiddleborough). I will say one word 

 in reference to the question of growing roots nearly as large 

 at the bottom as at the top. I knew an English gentleman 

 who had cultivated roots in England extensively ; and he 

 accomplished the object perfectly that Mr. Had wen desires, 

 by running the plough shallow, so that the roots should not 

 run deep. He fertilized the soil well, mellowed it well, but 

 was careful not to mellow it deep. 



Mr. Flint. I would like to make a single remark in 

 reply to what Mr. Comins has stated as an objection to mak- 

 ing a selection of seed-corn as Capt. Moore has recommended. 

 His objection is, that if we should go round, and cut off all 

 the tassels of the stalks which appeared to be imperfect, 

 there would not be fertilizing material enough, or pollen 

 enough, to make sure of fertilizing all the germs to form a 

 perfect ear. In reply to that, it seems to me it is sufficient 

 to consider that Nature is wonderfully prolific throughout. 

 You see it everywhere. Every farmer knows, that, when he 

 strikes his scythe into a field of Timothy when it is in blos- 

 som, the air is full : there is a perfect cloud of fertilizing or 

 dust pollen. There, you see, is an amount of material which 

 passes all conception, coming from the male organs of the 

 plant. The amount of pollen produced by our higher plants 

 is enormous. Now, the point was this, — that supposing the 



