1907.] PLANT BREEDING — PRINCIPLES AND RESULTS. 121 



in running two other sweet corn plots at Mr. Woodruff's, one 

 of Early Crosby, and one of a New York grown strain of 

 Stowell's Evergreen. We hope by this study of methods of 

 breeding to arrive at the best system to be used for rapid 

 progress in improving sweet corn. 



The results this year have been very satisfactory, but even 

 if no progress had been indicated this first season, it should 

 not be a thing to discourage the plant breeder, for such work 

 as we have undertaken, except in the cases of those rare 

 variations which we call sports, cannot produce any astonish- 

 ing changes in one year or in two years. Plant improvement 

 is only achieved by patient, persistent effort, and it certainly 

 cannot be held out as an opportunity to " get rich quickly." 

 Nevertheless, there is sufficient money compensation to those 

 who accomplish results, as is shown by the long established 

 success of the Vilmorins in France and the Garton Brothers 

 in England, and the later commercial prosperity in the United 

 States of the corn breeding firm of Funk Brothers, who use 

 twenty-five thousand acres of their own land in Central Illinois 

 in their operations. 



Methods. 



The methods by which we are now working to increase 

 yield, and which we know will produce results, are very simple, 

 and may be summed up in four short sentences : (i) Select a 

 variety adapted to the ends in view. (2) Select the best 

 mother plants possible. (3) Determine the producing powers 

 of the ears from these plants. (4) Continue propagation 

 from the best yielding ears. 



In actual practice the details of our methods are somewhat 

 more complicated, but these four simple steps comprise the 

 basis for all corn breeding. 



The best number of ears to use in a breeding plot is yet un- 

 settled. There are several conflicting factors entering into the 

 consideration. On the one hand, the smaller the number of 

 ears taken, the better can be the selection of the seed planted ; 

 while on the other hand, the larger the number of breeding 

 rows to choose from, the stricter can be the selection of seed 

 for the next crop. Then again, there is undoubtedly a danger 

 of evil effects from too close inbreeding, by the use of too 

 small a number of ears, as will be shown later. 



