70 



THE CANADIAN" HOKTICULTURIST. 



The practical value of these deduc- 

 tions consists in the guide they afFoi'd 

 toward the improvement of the varie- 

 ties of corn that we grow. For instance : 

 by planting in adjoining hills, or better 

 still, the mixed seed of two varieties of 

 corn, one of which is distinguished for 

 its length of ear and smallness of cob, 

 and the other for the large size of its 

 kernel, we should anticipate in mr.ny 

 instances the transfer of the large 

 kernel to the small ear and of the small 

 kernel to the large ear. By selecting 

 from the crop those ears which have 

 length and the large kernel, we should 

 anticipate, by a series of selections, the 

 attaining of a new variety, in which 

 the large kernel and length of cob 

 would be persistent. The same remarks 

 hold true with the dent corns. But in 

 the matter of selections the true princi- 

 ple would seem to be to plant but one 

 kernel of the desired type from an ear 

 of the desired type, and to keep the 

 plant from this kernel free from the 

 influence of plants of another type, and 

 securing the crop through self-fertiliza- 

 tion. After the first year of this pro- 

 cedure, by the selection of two or more 

 kernels of the same type from different 

 plants, cross fertilization should be used, 

 the crop being gradually purified by 

 selection. 



While the maize plant as a rule is 

 not self fertilized, that is, as a general 

 thing the pollen from one plant fertilizes 

 the silk of another, yet in very many 

 cases the pollen and the silk upon the 

 .same i)lant is synchronous, and self 

 fertilization Ijecomes possible, and un- 

 doubtedly is of frequent occurrence. 

 The polhiu ripens from below upward, 

 and thus tliefall of the pollen, through 

 the siiccessive ripening of the blooms, 

 may last for three or four days, and 

 there is a great variation in period of 

 blooming as between individual plants. 

 The silk maintains its receptivity for 

 pollen for some little time, but for how 



long a period we do not yet know from 

 direct ob.servation. It seems, however, 

 true, that closely following pollenation, 

 the silk loses its transparent structure 

 and begins to shrivel, while before 

 pollenation is effected the silk retains 

 its succulency for several days.— E. 

 Lewis Sturtevant, Director. 



PROGRESS OF SORGHUM SUGUAR 

 MANUFACTURE. 



The Champaign Sugar Works, Cham- 

 paign, 111., were the first large sorghum 

 sugar woi-ks ever started in the United 

 States. They ground the cane this sea- 

 son raised on about 1,000 acres of land, 

 and the result is a perfect success in the 

 way of making a first class quality of 

 sugar that polarizes 97 degrees, and 

 much sweeter than sugar made from 

 cane or beet roots. For years experi- 

 ments have been made to find out some 

 way to change sorghum syrup intosugar. 

 The attempt was unsucessful up to last 

 year, when the State of Illinois offered 

 a bounty to any one who would succeed 

 in granulating the syrup into sugar. 

 Experiments made in the State Uni- 

 versity of Illinois, in Champaign, by 

 Professoi-s Weber and Scovell, succeed- 

 ed in accomplishing the result. A ready 

 sale is found for all the sugar and syrup 

 made, and the .success here will cause a 

 large number of sugar works to be erect- 

 ed all over the West, for sorghum cane 

 will grow where corn can be raised, and 

 where farmers can make $15 an acre in 

 raising corn they can realize $30 an 

 acre in i-aising sorghum cane to sell to 

 these iactories. 



The result of this discovery is likely 

 to make as great a change in this coun- 

 try as the making of beet sugar has in 

 Europe, where to-day two-thiids of all 

 the sugar in the Avorld is made. Out 

 of a total production of three million 

 tons, France, Belgium, and Germany 

 produce two million tons. The sugar 



