IMPROVEMENT OF CORN. 



205 



appearance of the stalks in this row from those seen in the adjacent rows is 

 the result of one year's seed selection with reference to the characters of the 

 parent stalks. 



The need of giving attention to the ear in selecting seed corn may be 

 seen in the following record of seven individual seed ears of a pure corn. 

 The ears were planted separately on uniform soil and tended similarly in 

 all respects. 



Average length 

 Length of ears of 30 good seed 



planted. ears harvested. 



8 inches. 8 1-2 inches. 



9 



9 



10 



10 



91-5 

 91-3 



9 i-io 



91-3 

 91-2 

 95-6 



Thv?.t the separate kernels of a seed ear have different transmitting ten- 

 dencies is illustrated by the following. In the spring of IQOI a very unusual 



Fig. 4. Ear of red corn with a white portion found in a field of white 

 dent. (One-half natural size.) 



ear of corn was obtained. It was a red ear with a white spot covering about 

 one-fifth of its surface (Fig. 4). The ear was discovered in a field of white 

 dent corn. This strain has been grown for many years as a reasonably pure 



