September 27, 1919 



HORTICULTURE 





TESTING TABLE CORN. 

 Mr. Rollins Outlines His Methods. 

 Dear Sir: For many years intelli- 

 gent agriculturists have tried to im- 

 prove their Indian corn by selecting 

 the best ears at the time of husking 

 for seed. 



The most important step taken was 

 when all the kernels of a single ear 

 were planted in one row, and from 

 this row the best plants were selected 

 for producing the seed. 



I adopted this improvement when it 

 was first advocated, but have now 

 abandoned it because it took a long 

 time to purify the strains because of 

 the constant cross fertilization. 



Some other grains like wheat and 

 rye are close pollinated, and but little 

 subject to cross fertilization. 



With these the starting point for a 

 new strain is the examination of as 

 many fields as are within reach, se- 

 lecting and marking the plants that 

 seem superior and breeding from 

 these; planting the seed of each ear 

 separately. In the next generation 

 the seed is pure. 



All that can be done to improve it is 

 choose each year the best plants for 

 seed to keep the race at its maximum. 

 The reason for this is that every pure 

 race fluctuates about a mean. 



With corn the next generation after 

 the initial selection is not pure, owing 

 to the first selected ears having been 

 cross pollinated and by more than one 

 of the neighboring plants. 



Consequently the period of purifica- 

 tion is much longer than with the 

 small grains, and with sweet corn, the 

 kind in which we gardeners are inter- 

 ested, and where we try to combine 

 all the good qualities of the several 

 strains we have purified, the work 

 goes on slowly. 



I have therefore definitely aban- 

 doned this single row method. To 

 quote from a song of Harry Lauder's — 

 "that may have been quite all right 

 fifty years ago but it doesn't suit me." 

 Instead of planting the kernels of the 

 selected ears each in a row, thus sub- 

 jecting them to cross fertilization, I 

 pick out the finest kernels from each 

 of the selected ears and plant those 

 from each ear separately in a small 

 clearing in the forest where the trees 

 protect them from stray pollen. Just 

 before the male flowers open the most 



promising plant is saved and the 

 others detasseled. 



Evidently here the chosen plant 

 must be close pollinated as no pollen 

 except its own can reach it. 



Corn literature is full of warnings 

 against close pollination and you have 

 no doubt seen illustrations showing 

 how stunted the plants become. Dis- 

 regard all this and self pollinate for 

 at least one generation, for the small 

 loss of vitality thus produced is of no 

 practical moment compared with the 

 saving of time in the production of 

 pure strains. Moreover the vigor soon 

 comes back. 



Of course we gardeners are chiefly 

 interested in sweetness and flavor and 

 these cannot be judged at the time of 

 detasseling. The points that can be 

 judged are, color of the plant, size, 

 short or long stalks, upright or droop- 

 ing ears, absence of suckers, early ap- 

 pearance of the male flowers; if any 

 of the seeds produce plants that are 

 barren, then that whole lot should be 

 destroyed and another start made. 



This barren condition in a strain is 

 n most serious matter, but more 

 especially in field corn. In a table 

 corn that had other good qualities in 

 a maximum degree a small percent of 

 barren plants might be tolerated, but 

 really it would be better to select a 

 new starting point. 



In my first letter to you on breeding 

 sweet corn, which was published in 

 Horticulture, I recommended testing 

 for sweetness and flavor each ear in 

 the patch when the corn was in the 

 milk, stripping back the husk for this 

 purpose. Side by side with this method 

 I was testing another, because in a 

 wet season the procedure allowed 

 fungi to enter. I now wait until the 

 plants have lost their fresh green and 

 the tips of the husks look a little dry. 

 Then I gather the whole crop. The 

 kernels are full grown, but still soft 

 and the testing can be done quickly, 

 the corn then being dried in a warm 

 place. Take a bite from the tip and 

 base of each ear. I now know that 

 corn gathered in this stage, when we 

 can judge the sweetness and flavor 

 germinates well If properly dried and 

 recommend this method. Tea and 

 coffee "tasters" soon ruin their health, 

 but you can become a corn "taster" 

 without risk if you do so before it is 

 distilled. 



I find that the corn which longest 

 retains its sweetness is best, as the 

 flavor improves, and a well filled ear 



contains more nourishment than one 

 where the gathering must take place 

 while the kernels are small, to ensure 

 its being in the right state for the 

 table. 



1 have found that there are other 

 seeds which will germinate well if 

 gathered when still soft. For five 

 years I have planted all my hybrid 

 iris seed when in that condition. 



For some years I have bred corn in 

 rich and radioactive soil to try to 

 make it "sport" and had intended to 

 send you photographs of some of the 

 interesting freaks that have appeared. 

 I will do this in my next letter. 

 Sincerely 

 William Rollins. 



CHANGES AMONG THE GARDEN- 

 ERS. 



J. H. Francis, formerly superintend- 

 ent of the estate of A. B. Dick at Lake 

 Forest, 111., has taken charge of the 

 F. F. Drury place at Cleveland, Ohio. 



Edward Trethewey, formerly on the 

 Crane place at Ipswich, of which 

 Robert Cameron has taken charge, is 

 now superintendent of the E. H. Fitch 

 estate at Romford, Conn. After leav- 

 ing the Crane estate he served in the 

 Canadian army. 



John F. Proctor, who for seven 

 years was head gardener on the Vin- 

 cent Astor estate, Rhinebeck, N. Y.. 

 has accepted the position of general 

 manager of the B. B. M. Carpenter 

 properties in and near Wilmington, 

 Del., comprising the home grounds and 

 two farms. 



William Robertson, late of the Pep- 

 per estate, Jenkintown, Pa., has ac- 

 cepted the position of superintendent 

 of the George McFadden estate, Villa 

 Nova, Pa. 



H. H. Hundt, for the past year fore- 

 man of grounds at "Greystone," 

 Yonkers, N. Y., has taken the position 

 of head gardener to H. L. Thompson, 

 Perrysburg, Ohio, succeeding James 

 Neil, who recently resigned. 



TWIG PRUNERS. 

 Usually the first evidence of the 

 twig pruners is the fallen twigs on 

 the ground which upon examination 

 may reveal a small white borer or the 

 end of the twig may show the char- 

 acteristic inside girdling. Right now, 

 however, proof of the twig pruner's 

 presence is becoming evident and it is 

 important that everyone become 

 acquainted with this first evidence. 



