PLANT BREEDING 



185 



Every other row should be detasseled, to prevent the plants 

 from pollinating their own ears, and seed ears should be saved 

 only from the detasseled rows. 



4. The continuation, during subsequent seasons, of the 

 process of seed growing from the best plants obtained by 

 the process of paragraph 3. 



In beginning to breed corn it is better to use seed obtained 

 from the locality in which the experiment is to be made ; that 



FIG. 159. Cross-pollination and self-pollination 



The effect of cross-pollination and of self-pollination on the growth of corn from 

 the seed. The two rows of small plants at the left grew from seed produced by 

 self-pollination, the larger plants of the other rows from seed produced by cross- 

 pollination. Photograph furnished by Funk Bros. Seed Co. 



grown under decidedly different conditions may not succeed. 

 If high-oil or low -oil corn, or high-protein or low-protein corn, 

 is desired, the ears used for seed must be carefully chosen 

 with reference to the development of the horn-like endosperm 

 or of the embryo (figs. 157 and 158). Selection in the field, 

 as mentioned in paragraph 2, is necessary in order to make 

 sure that the ears chosen grew on vigorous plants and that 

 ears from the same plant are kept together. If detasseling is 



