82 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



upper ear has silked, and becomes pollinated. In many cases, 

 but not in all, the next ear throws out its silk before the 

 pollen has ceased falling, and becomes pollinated ; the next 

 lower ear rarely silks in time, and the ones still lower very 

 rarely secure fecundation. Now, in this variety of corn, we 

 have secured what I may call a prolific intention. What is 

 to be gained is the " earlying," to coin a word, of the lower 

 ears, so that they shall develop their silk in time to receive 

 the pollen, or else to secure a longer flow of pollen, or to 

 cause these two conditions to approach each other. When 

 this shall be accomplished, — and it is asking no more 

 than the variability of the plant would seem to render pos- 

 sible, — in the presence of sufiicient manure and proper 

 culture, the crop will be doubled, trebled, perhaps quadru- 

 pled. Such a result can be looked for only after consid- 

 erable time, and through intense competition among seed- 

 breeders. 



This year has been a peculiarly favorable one for my corn. 

 Being planted seasonably, a couple of weeks of cool weather 

 came on just as the pollen began to fall: this caused a 

 prolongation of the season of pollination, and yet did not 

 check the growth of the embryo ears to an equal degree. 

 Consequently, more of the second ears appear in the 

 crop than I have ever before known on the farm, and some- 

 times even a third ear. In order to secure this condition 

 of the plant hereafter, I shall endeavor to save for seed 

 for my own planting next year the second ears, hoping 

 that these ears, which were more forward than the like 

 situated ears on other stalks, will transmit this tendency to 

 their progeny, and, as they were fertilized by late pollen, 

 that the habit of the plant acting as the male will be alike 

 transmitted. 



In a neighbor's field of seventeen acres and a half, that 

 of Mr. E. F. Bowditch, we find later planting. The cool 

 weather came before the fall of the pollen, and delayed it. 

 When the hot weather succeeded, the pollen fell rapidly, and 

 occupied but a short time, and there seems to be fewer 

 second ears in the crop than in mine. This crop shows, 

 however, a greater prolificacy than does mine ; and this 

 brought about, unquestionably, by the seed used being the 

 result of a cross of the year before. This observation, if 



