EXPERIMENT STATION REPORT. 429 



posed male or female parent of the cross. It is ear capacity, and not 

 fo<lder tendency, that one is after in breeding sweet or table corn. 



The ears of '"Premo" thus secured all carry crossed grains, that 

 the following season may be expected to produce corn that, in size of 

 stalk and ear and earliuess and sweetness of grain, will Ije a mean 

 between these qualities in the parents. In this instance the stalk 

 will be of fair height, the ear of good size — sometimes eight-rowed, 

 like the male parent, and often more like the seed parent. The 

 quality should be satisfactory and the productiveness good for such 

 an early com. A small bloc-k of this cross will be grown upon the 

 home grounds for testing and selection to a type, but the main portion 

 is available to those w'ho may wish, to test it under certain restrictions 

 that may be imposed when the seed is distributed. 



The second breeding block for com was occupied with alternate 

 rows of "Malakhov"' and "Crosby" distantly situated from all other 

 blocks of corn then in bloom. In fact, these two blocks above men- 

 tioned had the only ears in bloom at the same time, and only the 

 "Malakhov" in these were jjermitted to produce pollen, and therefore 

 the cross is practically pure. 



In the case of the "Crosby" l3lock the difference in time of bloom- 

 ing was fully a week — that is, the silks of the '"Malakhov" were ready 

 for poll«n seven days before those of the "Crosby" were mature. 

 However, many of the stalks of "Malakhov" produced tassels late 

 enough to impregnate the "Crosby," save in case only of a few very 

 slow-growing stalks that w^ere by their delay fortunately eliminated, 

 because the breeding was for earliness, in connection with the superior 

 qualities of the "Crosby." 



The seed thus secured is for free distribution to those who are 

 willing to take the pains to isolate the plants from all other kinds of 

 corn, and enjoy the added interest of having a new sort of sweet corn 

 form under their care. In the present instance certain stalks were 

 marked with wire labels when they w'ere in silk, and this may be 

 taken as a suggestion that the selecting of the ears for seed should 

 be made early in the maturity of the plant. To use the Ijest for the 

 table is a poor rule when one looks ahead to future years. It requires 

 but a little for planting, and by all means let that little l)e the best 

 in every way. Favor the marked plants by removing the others from 

 the hill. Select and then give the selected specimens the best oppor- 

 tunity for growth. 



