82 THE BOOK OF CORN 



ularity of the rows near the tip and the shape and 

 size of the kernels must also he considered in scoring 

 tips. The failure of an ear to have the tip well filled 

 may be due to several things, first and most generally 

 to the fact that the silks are not all ready for 

 pollenization during the period when the pollen is 

 ripe. For example, in the case of a very late ear of 

 corn, the tip may not be well filled because the tip 

 silks ripen too late for pollenization. The filling of 

 the tip is also influenced by the season. If the season 

 is unfavorable because of an excessively wet period, 

 during which time the pollen is washed away, or in 

 case of excessively hot winds or a very dry spell 

 during pollenization, the pollen often is destroyed 

 before it has time to completely fertilize the ear. 

 In such seasons and under these circumstances very 

 many ears may be poorly filled. It is desirable that 

 any variety be so bred that all parts of the ear mature 

 in time for the pollen to fully fertilize them. When 

 conditions are favorable doubtless this may be accom- 

 plished by the breeder selecting for seed only those 

 ears which are well filled out over the tips. 



Butt — In a well-filled butt the kernels should 

 stand out about the shank so that when the ear is 

 broken from the shank a small hollow is left. This 

 assists in securing a large proportion of corn to cob. 

 Not only is this true, but a poorly filled butt is usually 

 accompanied by a large shank. This large, strong 

 shank makes it very difficult for the ear to be broken 

 off during husking, an undesirable quality in any 

 variety. On the other hand, if the butt is very small 

 the shank supporting the ear on the stalk may become 

 so weak that it cannot hold the ear securely and the 

 result will be that the ears will be too easily blown 

 off during windstorms. 



