CYRIL GEORGE HOPKINS 



this state. The problem of sugar-beet production in Illinois 

 was thus proven to be of an industrial nature rather than 

 cultural. 



It was quite natural in a state like Illinois, where the inter- 

 est is so largely centered in the corn crop, that the chemist 

 of the experiment station should be attracted to the chemical 

 problems of the corn plant, and so we find Doctor Hopkins 

 soon becoming deeply engrossed in the chemistry of this great 

 crop. 



"The Chemistry of the Corn Kernel" was the title of the 

 next bulletin of Doctor Hopkins to appear. It is of interest 

 to note that this publication served as the thesis for his doctor's 

 degree at Cornell, a large portion of the work being done in 

 the laboratories of that institution. This investigation went 

 more completely into the chemistry of the different substances 

 that make up the corn kernel than had any work hitherto done. 

 Aside from the valuable information there given, our present 

 interest in this work lies in the fact that it served as the basis 

 of that great research which has come to be regarded as a 

 classic in plant breeding, namely, the breeding of corn to 

 influence its chemical composition. 



This breeding work grew out of suggestions made in con- 

 ference with Doctor Burrill and Dean Davenport. Recogniz- 

 ing the fact that corn is put to such a great variety of uses, 

 it was proposed to investigate the possibility of modifying the 

 composition of the grain in order to adapt it to various pur- 

 poses, whether for feeding or for manufacturing. Accordingly, 

 in 1896 a common variety of corn was taken and selection of 

 seed was made in four directions ; namely, high protein, low 

 protein, high oil, and low oil. Each of these lots of seed was 

 planted by the car-to-the-row method in an isolated breeding 

 plot in order that it might not become mixed with other kinds. 

 At harvest, representative samples were collected and analysed 

 and further selection made along the respective lines. Repeat- 

 ing this process year after year resulted in the gradual develop- 



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