The Indian Corn Crop 177 



lific tendency are the ones to furnish the pollen for the 

 whole. 



In short, we must select the plants that come nearest 

 to the ideal we have formed of what we want in a corn 

 plant, and then must see that it has all disturbing ten- 

 dencies removed from it. We must not allow the ears on 

 a prolific plant to be set by pollen from a plant that pro- 

 duces a single ear or none. In the corn crop of this coun- 

 try it has been estimated that lo per cent, of the stalks in 

 every field make no ear. But these barren stalks will 

 produce pollen, and this pollen will impregnate the pistils 

 of the plants all around it, and thus the tendency to pro- 

 duce barren stalks is perpetuated. And selection by 

 score card tells us nothing about this, and it may be, and 

 often is the case, that grain on an inferior nubbin may 

 be better seed than the grain on a large and handsome 

 ear, simply because of better male parents. 



Plant, from the best seed obtainable. 

 How Shall We ^hj^h has been produced in the same local- 

 Select Our . . ^ e J -n^ I. 



Seed Corn ^^Y' ^ separate patch for seed. Plant as 

 usual for a crop, and give the patch the best 

 possible cultivation. Then, having formed in mind the 

 ideal corn plant- you desire, watch the growth during the 

 season. When the plants show signs of making tassels 

 and silks, go through the patch row by row, and pull out 

 the tassels from all stalks that show no signs of ears and 

 from all inferior and weakly stalks, so that the pollen for 

 the impregnation of the silks will all be borne on plants 

 that come nearest to the ideal you have formed. You 

 want plants that are stout, leafy, and short jointed, and 

 which bear the ears, two or more, at a convenient distance 



