EXPERIMENT STATION REPORT. 401 



A similar count made the year before for the crop upon the same 

 land gave : 



Uncolored. Black. Red. 



Average (1900) 172 121 92 



It is seen that the number of red (pink) colored grains has greatly 

 increased, of course at the expense of the uncolored (white ) and dark 

 (black) grains. There is, however, an increase in the actual number 

 of grains per ear of 47 — a feature of no small consequence when many 

 rows is considered an advantage in sweet corn. 



A second point to be observed, in a study of the ears as a whole, is 

 the greater variation in them than last season. In 1900 the ears were 

 practically alike, five of which were shown in a plate in last year's 

 report. This season they range all the way from those with about 

 half white grains to ears in which the color was entirely red. A rep- 

 resentative group is shown in Figure VI. , where the ear upon the left 

 represents the extreme for white grains and the one upon the right 

 for red ones. The middle ear is as near an average in regard to color 

 of grains as may be selected. 



It was noted at the outset that pink grains for seed were selected 

 from ears with more thah ten rows of grains. This selection may 

 have influenced the ears, for nearly all of them are more than eight- 

 rowed, and in this respect the " Black Mexican" type is largely lost 

 from view. Ten per cent, of eight- rowed ears are still met with, but 

 such ears seem to have no greater percentage of dark grains than 

 others. 



A noticeable feature this season is the number of ears that have 

 only two sorts of grains, namely, the uncolored and a pecular bluish 

 kind, that may be styled "lead-colored." That these ears have 

 come from the darkest pink grains bordering upon purple is almost 

 proved in other plots, where the so-called "black" grains were 

 planted to determine the power in reproducing their kinds. This 

 part of the subject is considered elsewhere. Some of the ears are 

 mixed purple or "lead-colored" and white, and others are entirely 

 of bright pink and white. In short, there are all variations between 

 the two types named, which shows the great power each grain has 

 of producing grains like itself, and this leads one to place great 

 importance upon the selection of just that type of grain that is desired 

 in the product. If this work of crossing corn had no other output 

 than the enforcing of this underlying principle of plant improvement, 

 it would not be fruitless indeed. The results are so rapid and cumu- 



26 



