470 NEW JERSEY AGEICULTURAL COLLEGE 



The two sorts are easily distinguished as standing in the field, and 

 one of the constant characteristics of the ''Country Gentleman" was 

 the handsome pink color of the silk, it being the white sort, while the 

 "Black Mexican"' had usually a pale green silk, although this is not 

 constant, and some of the stalks bore pink silks — a variation that has 

 been constantly met with in this variety. 



There is little else to dwell upon for the present, except to show 

 average ears of the parents and those in which the crossed grains are 

 apparent from the mixture of the colors. 



Plate II. shows a set of ears of corn that represent the "Black 

 Mexican," upon the left, and the "Country Gentleman," upon the 

 right. The next ear upon the left is a "Black Mexican," with a 

 few grains only that have resulted from pollination of the "Country 

 Gentleman," and the ear next to the right shows a larger percentage 

 of this crossing. The right of the two middle ears is a "Country 

 Gentleman" that resulted from hand pollination, and all its grains 

 show the dark color that this crossing with the "Black Mexican" pro- 

 duced. To the right of the last-named ear is one which shows the 

 mixing that was quite general in nearly all the ears of this sort. 



The "Black Mexican"' is an eight-rowed variety, but it sometimes 

 happens that this nimiber is somewhat increased, as instanced in ear 

 that is next to one of the "Country Gentleman." The ordinary ear^ 

 when broken, appears as shown in the plate. The much longer and 

 narrower grains of the "Country Gentleman" are similarly shown.. 

 This latter sort has pearly white grains that are disposed without 

 apparent order upon the cob — that is, there aTe no distinct rows. 

 It produces a larger ear than the "Black ^lexican," and the ear 

 required, in this experiment, fully two weeks more for it to reach 

 marketable size. This was a very unusual season, and any test? as 

 to periods of growth are not conclusive. With us the planting was 

 much delayed on account of bad weather, and later on heav}" floods 

 and very destructive winds nearly ruined the experiment. This ac- 

 counts for the comparatively small ears that appear in the picture. 

 The unusual season may account for a fact that was painfully ap- 

 parent at harvest time, namely, that but very few of the ""Black 

 Mexican" ears showed any white grains due to the pollen of the 

 "Country Gentleman," while, on the other hand, it was almost im- 

 possible to find an ear of the latter sort that did not have dark grains 

 due to the pollen of the "Black Mexican." all of which prevented the 



