124 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



[Jan., 



A comparison of the total weights of the ears from each 

 row is the basis of selection of the rows from which to take 

 seed for the next )^ear, and in this selection fifty per cent, of 

 the rows are discarded. The forty-eight rows are, however, 

 considered in four quarters. We select the six best yielding 

 rows out of the twelve detasseled rows in each quarter. This 

 is done for two reasons ; first, in order to avoid selecting too 

 many ears from a few extremely good rows and thus breed 

 from closely related plants ; and second, a comparison by 

 weight of each quarter's rows by themselves avoids somewhat 

 the error of comparing two rows widely separated, and on 

 uneven ground. 



After comparing the ears from each row, noting the points 

 previously mentioned, the final selection for the next year's 

 planting should include four ears from each of these twenty- 

 four rows, again making the ninety-six ears. Two cars from 

 each row are used to plant in odd-numbered rows to furnish 

 pollen (tasseled rows), and two to plant in even-numbered 

 ' rows to be detasseled, and from which all seed is to be taken. 



Our plan of planting to avoid inbreeding looks a little com- 

 plicated on paper, but is in reality very simple. 



The seed for even-numbered rows is always kept in the 

 same quarter in which it grew, while the seed for odd-num- 

 bered rows is always brought from another quarter. To facili- 

 tate this plan it is convenient to have the field shaped as it is 

 shown on the diagram, that is, quarters three and four end to 

 end with quarters one and two, although no particular arrange- 

 ment is absolutely necessary. The direction of changing the 

 " tasseled seed " is illustrated in the diagram. 



-^ 



3 



>C 



4 



DIRECTION OF THE ANNUAL CHANGE OF SEED FOR TASSELED ROWS. 



