INDIAN CORN. 117 



new variety, you would naturally expect a mulatto 

 colour ; hut I will explain why it is pure white as 1 

 go along. I had two objects m view, the one to get 

 the large, white grains of the Tuscarora on the small 

 cob of the Sioux ; and the other, to produce a variety 

 earlier than either, if possible. To accomplish my 

 object, I planted a piece of ground, say the eighth of 

 an acre, with both varieties, one in each alternate 

 hill ; but as the Tuscarora was known to me to be 

 from 15 to 20 days later than the Sioux, I planted 

 the latter 15 days after the former. Now the pro- 

 cess of crossing is performed in the following man- 

 ner. The variety that has the cob that I wish to 

 retain is used as the female, and as the tassels (male 

 flowers) appear, they are carefully cut off and sup- 

 pressed ; the variety whose grain I wish to get is 

 used as the male, and its tassels are allowed to grow. 

 It is unnecessary to interfere with the female flow- 

 ers (the silk). The ears of corn produced by the 

 Sioux hills had the form and size of cob of the Si- 

 oux, but the grain was a beautiful sulphur colour, 

 and of the form of the Tuscarora, though smaller. 

 This corn I planted the next year, and the result 

 was a beautiful variegation of the grains, .of pure 

 yellow and pure white, though all the grains were 

 alike as to size and shape. The cream-colour had 

 evidently returned to its original elements. I then 

 carefully selected the white grains, and planted them 

 the third year, and the result was the establishment 

 of the variety called " Smith's early white." (I do 

 not understand how or whence Dr. Brown obtained 

 the name of Pennsylvania, 8 rows.) 



My experiments established the fact satisfactorily 

 to my mind, that you can place the grains of any 

 variety of corn upon the cob of any other variety, by 

 the process detailed above ; and that there is no ob- 

 ject more worthy the attention of farmers than im- 

 provements of this kind. You have only to regulate 

 the time of planting each variety, so that they flower 



