326 LUTHER BURBANK 



uniformity of size and early ripening, as this was 

 a very late maturing variety, even for California 

 In earlier generations there had been a marked 

 tendency to variation, some plants producing 

 only a single stripe of red, some only a stripe or 

 two of yellow or white. But by rigid selection 

 through several years these variants were elim- 

 inated, and a variety produced that may be de- 

 pended on to exhibit rainbow leaves of uniform 

 type. 



My further experiments with this variety con- 

 sisted of crossing the Rainbow Corn with some of 

 the sweet corns, in the hope of giving to this 

 handsome ornamental plant the capacity to bear 

 sweet corn of good quality. 



These experiments are still under way, but 

 they give no great promise of immediate success, 

 as the stripe seems to be recessive. 



A rainbow-leaved corn that bears good edible 

 ears would constitute a notable addition to the 

 very small company of habitants of the vegetable 

 garden that are prized equally for their orna- 

 mental qualities and their food product. 



EXTRA-EARLY SWEET CORN 



My earlier experiments with corn date back 

 to 1870-1872, the Massachusetts period when I 

 was developing the Burbank potato. 



