436 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



northern sections in attempting to grow a corn that is not sufficiently 

 early in maturing. On the other hand, a corn should be sufficiently 

 late in maturing to utilize the entire period of good growing 

 weather, as longer growth is favorable to greater production. In 

 the following descriptions of the characters that constitute desir- 

 able stocks, ears, and kernels, only the most important characters 

 those that influence the production of grain per acre are con- 

 sidered. 



Desirable Stalks. A desirable stalk is one without suckers, or 

 offshoots, thick at the base, with well-developed roots, gradually 

 tapering toward the top, and bearing a good ear or ears slightly 

 (below its middle point. It is perhaps not advisable, even in the 

 Southern States, to obtain a taller growth of stalk than 10 feet, and 

 in the extreme North the short growing season does not permit of 

 more than half this growth of stalk. The stalk should be free from 

 smut or other disease, possess well-formed blades, preferably 12 to 

 16, and have its ear attached by an ear stalk, or shank, not more 

 than 4 or 5 inches in length. Select seed ears from stalks that are 

 well developed, and this can be done only by selecting from stand- 

 ing stalks at ripening time. 



CLOSE EXAMINATION OF EARS SELECTED. 



The hundred or more desirable ears which have been selected 

 should be placed on boards or tables, with the tips of the ears point- 

 ing in the same direction. One by one each ear of the lot should 

 be compared with the sample ear, which should be the one that 

 most nearly approaches the typical ear, and any that do not con- 

 form to type should be discarded. Two or more kernels, one a third 

 of the distance from the butt and another the same distance from 

 the tip, should be taken from each ear and examined and meas- 

 ured. If these kernels are too short, or are found defective in any 

 character, the ear should be discarded. 



The ears that have proved suitable should be thoroughly dried 

 and well preserved till nearly planting time, when they should be 

 shelled by hand, the poorly shaped kernels at the extremities being 

 discarded and the good kernels placed in small paper bags, the ker- 

 nels from each ear in a separate bag. 



SELECTING A BREEDING PLAT. 



In the breeding plat the best seed ears are planted in separate 

 parallel rows, one ear to each row. This is necessary in order to 

 determine which ears possess the invisible character of great pro- 

 ductiveness to the highest degree. It is essential that the soil of 

 the plat be uniform and that the various rows be given the same 

 opportunity in all respects. Dead furrows and back furrows should 

 be avoided. In case they are present, the rows should be planted 

 at right angles to them ; otherwise a row close to a dead furrow or 

 back furrow might be placed at a great advantage or as great a 

 disadvantage. If one side of the patch is higher than the other 

 the rows should be planted so that each will have an equal amount 

 of high and low land. These points are exceedingly important, for 



