246 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



new. But seedsmen do the very best they know how to do. 

 They keep right up in advance, aud any slander upon seeds- 

 men receives no endorsement at the experiment station. 

 We have had over a thousand varieties of difierent vegeta- 

 bles growing each year. They are carefully examined, and, 

 as a rule, we believe that the garden seeds we buy arc pure ; 

 and if they arc not pure, it is simply on account of the igno- 

 rance of the seedsmen, in which wc share, and not from any 

 intent to defraud the public. The germinating quality and 

 uniform character of the seeds obtained from our leading 

 dealers arc perfectly surprising. They are deserving of 

 praise. This idea of taking the results of foreign investiga- 

 tions and applying them to our seedsmen is ungenerous and 

 uncalled for, because v/e have no facts recorded in this coun- 

 try Avhich aiford any justification for that course. 



Now, this early eight-rowed sweet corn, bought of one of 

 the leading seedsmen last year, when wo came to harvest, 

 October 16th, gave us ears thoroughly ripe ; other ears which 

 were just in the condition we ordinarily gather sweet corn 

 for seed, not dry, but sticky; and other ears just in con- 

 dition for the table, and still other ears which were not yet 

 fit for the table. Here we had all these difl^erent varieties of 

 earliness within the same seed, very likely comiug from ker- 

 nels taken from the same ear. Whether you take the seed 

 from one ear or u dozen ears, it will probably make no differ- 

 ence in that respect. Now, if you will look into this sub- 

 ject, you will find that all these very early eight-rowed corns 

 have ears eighteen or twenty inches from the ground, while 

 the later kinds have ears thirty inches or more from the 

 ground. If you will take the earliest known variety of corn 

 you will find the ears corning out at the surface of the ground ; 

 and if you will take the latest variety, you will find the ear 

 clear up on the stalk. Take some of the South American 

 corns, and you have got to almost use a step-ladder to reach 

 the ears. Now, if you want early seed-corn, you can pick 

 out those plants which bear ears near the ground ; aud in 

 doing that you will work upon a definite plan, which, if 

 wisely followed out, will bring about the result desired. 



The Chairmax. Dr. Sturtevant, as I told you in intro- 

 ducing him, is the director of the New York Experim':'nt 

 Station ; and, as you all know, wo have an experiment sta- 



