EXPERIMENT STATION REPORT. 



2«I 



concerned the crosses that were secured the previous season of 

 "Iowa Silver Mine" (144) and "Pride of Nishua" (145) upon 

 various sorts of sweet corn and recorded in the report (with a 

 plate) for 1906, pages 396-401. The "Iowa Silver Mine" is one 

 of the leading- white dent varieties grown in the Middle West, 

 and was obtained along with the "Pride of Nishua," a yellow 

 sort, from a breeder of field corns of distinction in his region. 



The points in mind in securing these crosses were many, some 

 of which were strictly practical, while others partake more of the 

 theoretical nature. Last year as breeder rows the two Iowa field 

 corns grew to the height of nine to eleven feet, and overtopped the 

 varieties of sweet corn among which they stood. It is possible 

 that some addition to the size of the stalk and vigor of growth 

 may be an addition to table corns, provided there is no great sac- 

 rifice in quality. The longer period of growth does not lead to 

 any hope of securing an early sort in this way, but, if additional 

 strength of plant, handsome ear and desirable length of grain, 

 with sweetness and prolificness are secured, there are ways in 

 which speed may be added to such a type of corn. 



Let it be noted here that the planting of the set of crosses under 

 consideration was made as late as June 20th, that the season was 

 not of the best for the crop, and in September all the plants were 

 prostrated and partially uprooted by a heavy wind and rainstorm, 

 that after being reset they were again torn down two weeks later, 

 and killing frosts came upon the tenth of October. And yet, 

 after all these vicissitudes, on the fourteenth of October a set of 

 ears was taken from the badly broken stalks that is shown in 

 Plate VI., one hundred and sixteen days from the time of 

 planting. 



Plot I was planted with seed from an "Iowa Silver Mine" ear 

 that was produced in the breeder row of last season as a kind of 

 check or means of comparison of the crosses grown in the other 

 plots. The plants were of the large type characteristic of the 

 variety, but much smaller than when grown under the favorable 

 conditions that surround this field corn in its home in the highly 

 fertile soil of Iowa. The ears in the present crop showed many 

 sweet grains, thus indicating that the dent grains used as seed 

 carried in latent form the sweet character which became manifest 



