144 Bulletin 251. 



Row 1-3 (Followed by progeny notes) 



No. 1-3-1 ( Followed by notes on individual) 

 No. 1-3-2 (Followed by notes on individual) 

 No. 1-3-3 (Followed by notes on individual) 

 etc. 



Row 2-1 (Followed by progeny notes) 



NO; 2-1-1 (Followed by notes on individual) 

 No. 2-1-2 (Followed by notes on individual) 

 No. 2-1-3 ( Followed by notes on individual) 

 etc. 



II. CORN. 



While corn is extensively grown in New York and is one of our most 

 important agricultural crops, as a whole it seems to the writer that it is a 

 much neglected crop. It is grown largely for ensilage purposes, but 

 only to a limited extent for the grain. New York produces an abundance 

 of hay and roughage but has a shortage of concentrates. If more at- 

 tention was given to the improvement of corn it is probable that its culti- 

 vation for grain would become more general. We greatly need 

 earlier dent varieties of higher yielding capacity. In the majority of 

 cases where corn is grown for the grain, flint varieties are yet used, al- 

 though dent varieties are in general higher yielders. When corn is grown 

 for ensilage the seed is quite generally obtained from Ohio, Illinois, or 

 some of the western corn states, when it is probable that by careful 

 breeding we could produce local strains that would give just as good or 

 better yields and which would have the additional advantage that the seed 

 could be produced here with safety. The writer is well aware that 

 many corn growers would claim this to be improbable or at least, im- 

 practical, as they believe that the growth of the seed in a more southern 

 location gives the jjlants a tendency to grow large and rank, a character 

 which they believe would be lost if the variety were grown continuously 

 in tlie north. The writer, while admitting that the general tendency for 

 a variety grown in northern localities where the season is of limited 

 duration, is to become smaller, nevertheless, believes that by the proper 

 breeding, varieties could be produced which would ripen seed safety and 

 because of their better adaptibility give even better results for ensilage 

 purposes. Corn which matures sufficiently for good ensilage has reached 

 a stage when the ears, if properly preserved, will give seed that will grow 

 well. A reduction of a week in the season of such a variety would prob- 

 ably render it sufficiently early so that mature seed could be selected. 



Corn is a crop particularly well adapted to breeding as the selection 

 of sufficient seed to plant a comparatively large area does not entail 

 very much work. The breeding, however is complicated by the fact 



