16G ANNUAL liKPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



'i'Jiis character, in connection with the shortened stature, eliminates 

 all thinner from lod^nnjr — a decided advanta<jje in re<^ions of hiyh 

 Avind. An elfort is beinf^ made to transfer this dwarf habit to some 

 of tlie leading]; commercial varieties. 



Corii-tcoH/ntc hybrid. — Teosinte, a Mexican grass and the only 

 known wild relative of corn, is grown to some extent as a forage 

 plant in the Southern States. It possesses many characteristics that 

 would be of Aalue in corn, especially in varieties ";roAvn for ensilage. 

 Crosses between corn and teosinte have been made which show that 

 within wide limits it is possible to secure any desired combinations 

 of characters. Among the more promising segregates thus far se- 

 cured from these hybrids is an early strain with the broad leaves and 

 the strict, sturd3\ upright habit of corn combined with the profuse 

 branching of teosinte. The new type appears fixed, and an effort is 

 being made to secure sufficient seed for field tests. 



Corn culture. — Fair acre yields were obtained in northern Arkansas 

 from early varieties of corn by planting much thicker than usual. 

 By the use of siicli varieties it has been possible to have a succession 

 suitable for hogging down from the middle of July until local varie- 

 ties are ready in September. Improved methods of selecting and pre- 

 paring seed corn have been determined and prei^ared for puljlication. 



Use of corn products. — A new formula for the making of hulled 

 corn, or lye hominy, has been devised. This method produces a better 

 grade of hominy, and it is believed that it would be practicable to 

 apply it on an extensive scale in the development of a trade in dried 

 hulled corn similar to the existing trade in cracked hominy. Im- 

 proved methods of popping and preparing pop com have been de- 

 vised and published. 



Corn 'breeding. — An improvement in the car-to-row breeding of 

 selected strains that is being conducted in different sections of the 

 United States has been put into effect during the past two years. 

 The pollen parents in the breeding plats are restricted' to ears known 

 to be of high productiveness. This permits broader breeding and ob- 

 viates detrimental effects that may result from the close breeding 

 that occurs so frequently in ear-to-row^ plats. The benefits of this 

 change are apparent already in some of the selections. Progress was 

 made in the establishment of pure-line strains of United States Se- 

 lection 201, and preliminary crosses between such strains promise 

 valuable results in securing higher jaelds and better quality. Similar 

 breeding methods have been started with three other varieties. 



A method of breeding combining extensive self-fertilization and 

 ear-to-row selection has made possible rapid progress in developing 

 and fixing certain desired characters. In investigations conducted in 

 Florida and South Carolina the application of the method to a 

 variety of high yielding power but very deficient in resistance to 

 weevils and to infections by molds has developed a strain in which 

 the percentage of ears efficiently protected by long husks has been 

 increased to 67 per cent from 15 per cent in the original variety. 



From a much less productive variety, with 50 per cent of the ears 

 fairly well protected with shucks at the beginning of the work, a . 

 strain is being isolated with 99 per cent of its ears in shucks tightly 

 rolled and extending more than 3 inches beyond the ear tips and 88 

 per cent of the stalks producing two or more ears and giving other 

 indications of high yielding abilit}'. 



