The Bulletin. 13 



com grown in the State does not — the best way to arrange it for scoring 

 on this point is to have the exhibit conform as nearly as possible to the 

 type represented by the majority of the ears in the exhibit. This is 

 very necessary, especially in the selection of seed, because in the selec- 

 tion for seed it is necessary to have a certain type to select towards in 

 order that we may the sooner reach our ideal. 



SHAPE OF EAR. 



The shape of the ear must be true to variety. For instance, the 

 Boone County White is cylindrical and the Reid's Yellow Dent is slightly 

 tapering. Every variety will have individual peculiarities in shape. In 

 general, though, ears should be cylindrical, having approximately the 

 same circumference from the butt to the tip. If this shape is main- 

 tained the kernels will be more unifonn in shape and the ear will yield 

 a larger per cent of shelled corn than the tapering ear. The usual cause 

 of tapering ears is the dropping of some of the rows about one-third of 

 the way from the butt to the tip. These dropped rows cause irregular 

 kernels, a small production of corn to cob, and a badly shaped ear. The 

 roAvs of kernels should be parallel with the cob and extending from the 

 extreme butt to the extreme tip. If the rows turn to the right or to the 

 left, or are otherwise irregular it mars the appearance of the ear; and 

 for either seed or ''show ring" purposes it is important that the corn 

 appear well and that it yield a large per cent of shelled corn. The uni- 

 formity of the exhibit depends to a considerable extent on the uniform- 

 ity of the shape of the ears making up the exhibit. 



Again the farmer will find himself handicapped for the first few 

 years in his selection because of the variety type. Very few farmers are 

 planting a well established variety and for this reason they can not 

 have any certain shape to select towards. In this case he should take 

 his ideal ear and select those ears which, other points considered, comes 

 nearest to his ideal. 



The tip of the ear should be full and well rounded, showing kernels 

 at the very end which resemble the average kernels of the ear in shape 

 and size. The butt should be well filled out with kernels that resemble 

 the general shape and size of those in the center of the ear. It should 

 also have the same circumference as the rest of the ear and not be 

 enlarged, as we so often find it. By studying Fig. 3 you can get the 

 meaning of good and poor shape. 



PUKITY AS SHOWN BY THE COLOR OF THE COB. 



This, to the average farmer, is a matter of minor importance. Most 

 farmers select an ear without any thought as to the color of the cob, and 

 if they do consider the cob they will often select a white ear with a red 

 cob ; especially is this true of those who grow the large single-ear corn. 

 With a man who has studied breeding and selecting corn, the color of 

 the cob will be one of the first details he will notice, because by this he 

 can pretty nearly tell whether it is a pure variety or not. By all breed- 

 ers, every white variety of com with red cobs is considered an impure 

 or mixed variety of corn or a corn that is made up of several varieties. 

 The yellow varieties, if pure, will have a red cob, and an occurrence of 



