154 PRINCIPLES OF FARM PRACTICE 



The method of improving plants by selection is one that 

 every farmer should employ on his own farm. Selection is 

 based upon the fact that plant characters are handed down, 

 or inherited, from one generation to another. The appli- 

 cation of selection lies in the use of seed from desirable plants. 

 There is no way of telling by the appearance of the seed 

 whether it will produce low- or high-yielding plants. For 

 example, several ears of corn may be nearly perfect in size, 

 shape, and in other desirable qualities. But there is no 

 means of knowing whether or not these desirable qualities 

 will appear in the crop produced from these ears, unless 

 each ear is tested separately. In fact, there is apt to be 

 much difference in their ability to produce. 



A description of an actual trial of this kind will illustrate 

 this point. Thirty ears of corn, uniformly good in outward 

 appearance, were used. Enough seed from each ear was 

 planted to produce a row of one hundred! hills. "When the 

 rows were harvested separately and the corn weighed, the 

 results showed a variation in yield, per row, from thirty to 

 one hundred and twenty pounds. Only five rows gave a 

 yield of over seventy-five pounds each. In other words, 

 the trial showed only five ears of high-yielding corn, the rest 

 were low. 



There are several steps to be observed in securing better 

 plants by selection. These may be made clear by using corn 

 as an illustration. 



Initial selection. Initial selection is made in the field 

 during the latter part of the growing season. Those plants 

 showing vigorous development, having broad, dark green 

 leaves, well-formed ears neither too upright nor too pendant, 

 a convenient height, well-developed brace roots to prevent 

 lodging, an absence of suckers, and other desirable characters, 



