EXPERIMENT STATION REPORT. 469 



loss of commercial value of the product. There is difficulty in select- 

 ing seed for future planting, as tliere is a possibility of developing 

 the tendency to produce ears beyond the limit of most profitable out- 

 put of marketable ears. 



During the present year Plot III., Series IV., was planted with 

 "prolific corn," and the crop would have ])roved more satisfactory 

 but for the very poor season. As it was, the late planting and 

 heavy rains and windstorms gave a poor yield. There was a large 

 percentage of stalks with two marketable ears, although many of 

 them were small. There were strong indications of prolificness in 

 stalks that had set three, four and even five ears, but usually they 

 did not mature. 



The ears at harvest showed a very even mixture of the white and 

 pink grains, and by planting half of each of the two colors it may be 

 jjossible to continue this mixture until it become a characteristic, so 

 long as one or the other color is discarded in planting. 



Crossing Corn— Ne'w Series. 



Upon a half of Plot I. and the whole of Plot IV., Series VI,, com 

 was again grown, but this time it was the beginning of a new series 

 of crosses. The two varieties selected were the '"Black Mexican" and 

 the "Country Gentleman." The former has been used in the crosses 

 with the "Egyptian," which gave rise, aided by selection, to the red 

 sort that has taken the name of "Voorhees." It is, as often before 

 stated, a black-grained" variety, medium in size of plant and time for 

 maturing, and with eight rows to the ear. It is of high quality and 

 would be much more grown for the table were not its dark color an 

 objection. The "Country Gentleman" is a white-grained sort, some- 

 what larger in plant and ear than the "Mexican," about two weeks 

 longer in coming into bloom, and there are no Avell-defined rows, the 

 numerous, long, pointed variable grains of higli quality being very 

 irregularly disposed upon the large cob. 



In order to bring these two quite widely different varieties together 

 and accommodate them as to time of blooming, they were planted in 

 alternate rows, three rows apart, and after two weeks another similar 

 planting, while the third planting, four weeks after the first, com- 

 pleted the plots. 



