66 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



Now, when he has planted his first year's breeding block, he should 

 save about four rows of corn on the cob of each mother ear. I would 

 suggest two rows from each side. The saving of this corn on .the 

 mother ear is very important, because the next year he must plant the 

 remnants of the eight or ten champion ears in a small breeding plot ; 

 he mates them together. In this way he brings together the cham- 

 pions and crosses them — and when I say he crosses them, I do not mean 

 he breeds from one variety to another, but he, of course, keeps within 

 the variety. Corn is an open fertilized plant ; it thrives under that con- 

 dition ; under crossing, if you please. That's the nature of it. Now, I 

 don't say that in-breeding is disastrous to corn — that is, confining the 

 family — but I do say that in-breeding to the extent of self-fertilization 

 is very disastrous in corn. By self-fertilization I mean the falling of the 

 pollen from the same stalk on to the silk produced by that stock. I think 

 under that sort of fertilization your corn soon retrogrades. 



Now, in crossing, these ten mother ears that you have identified as 

 champions in production and other qualities, make five pairs, mating 

 two individuals together, and use one of the two ears that you mate the 

 next year as a sire ; use the other as a dam. To use it as a dam you have 

 to detassel it. Let me illustrate this a little. Say ears No. i and 50 

 prove to be the best champions in your breeding block ; they have been 

 high in standing ability, and placement of ear has been right, and foli- 

 age right, and yield the most. Plant ear No. i as your sire in the odd 

 rows ; leave the tassels on it. Plant ear No. 50 in the even rows and 

 detassel it. Then, using ear No. 50 as your dam and ear No. i as your 

 sire, save all your breeding corn of these two champions from your de- 

 tasseled corn from your even rows. They will not be self-fertilized. 

 You have eliminated the liability of that disastrous effect of self-fertili- 

 zation. You can be sure on that point at least — that all of your corn has 

 been fertilized from an ear that we know has proven to be a champion, 

 botli as to yield and all these other qualifications. Then take your 

 breeding ears from your even rows and confine the family. Breed it in 

 a block by itself. Now, after you select eight or ten mother ears and 

 cross them in this way, you will select breeding ears from four good 

 mother ears of two years before. Do you see what I mean? You will 

 cut your selection down to only one-half of the number of champion 

 ears that you had in igo4.. In 1904 you proved these ten mother ears; 

 in 1905 you mated these ten mother ears that were champions ; and in 

 1905, when it came to selection time, you cut that number in two and 

 only saved five of them, the five used as dams, and in a small field- 

 say 20 acres — make five different plots, and plant your four ears that 



