108 PRACTICAL CORN CULTURE 



are planted on the next round and so on until the plot is 

 finished. As soon as a row is planted, it is well to tie the 

 tag on the fence just back of the row. If the tags are 

 substantial they will serve to mark the rows until the breed- 

 ing plot has been cultivated the last time. After the corn 

 is laid by, it is best to place numbered stakes at the end 

 of each row. (See illustration.) For convenience, the two 

 sacks to be planted on each return should be taken to the 

 far end of the plot by the driver, placing them in his pocket 

 as he starts each round. As soon as the breeding plot is 

 finished, the planter boxes are filled with the regular seed 

 of the same variety and the rest of the field is planted. 



Now we have a breeding plot in a large field of the same 

 variety. It is surrounded on three sides with the same kind 

 of corn, which prevents foreign pollenization. If the 100 

 ears were carefully shelled and placed in candy sacks as 

 suggested, it should not take more than five hours longer 

 to plant this corn than if planted in the regular way. The 

 breeding plot is cultivated at the same time as is the entire 

 field; in fact, one would not know that the breeding plot 

 existed if it were not for the tags at the end of the rows. 

 To secure a uniform stand, it is well to thin down to two 

 stalks to the hill after the corn has been plowed the first 

 time. The ears will be larger with two stalks to the hill 

 than with three. 



DETASSELING 



It is almost necessary to detassel alternate rows. If not 

 detasseled, the corn in each row, being from a single ear, 

 would otherwise be closely inbred. When the alternate rows 

 are detasseled, the product of the detasseled rows only is 

 used. It can readily be seen that by this method cross pollen- 

 ization is insured. 



