138 



THE CORNELL READING-COURSES 



Any differences that may occur must be due to the individuality of the 

 different ears. Such a test is most interesting, and the individual varia- 

 tions are striking. Some rows will be tall, others short; some will bloom 

 early, others late; some will have broad leaves, others narrow; and all 

 the plants of each row will be typical of that row. The most interesting 

 and practical variation, however, will be the yield that is produced by 

 the different rows (Fig. 78). Some will yield a great deal more than 

 others, and yet they all had equal chances and the original parent ears, 

 as far as could be determined by observation, were equally good. The 

 following list of yields was selected at random from such a breeding plot. 



FIG. 78. Inspecting a neighbor's corn-breeding plot 



There is a difference of twenty bushels between the lowest and the 

 highest yield. 



70 bushels per acre 



73 bushels per acre 



80 bushels per acre 



76 bushels per acre 



69 bushels per acre 



89 bushels per acre 



87 bushels per acre 



73 bushels per acre 



78 bushels per acre 



Naturally, the seed should be saved each year from those rows that give 

 the highest yields, because they represent the high-yielding types or 

 strains. When such a corn-breeding plot has been conducted for a period 



