LUTHER BURBANK 



but a part of the kernels were hard and smooth, 

 and not the wrinkled sweet corn that was desired. 

 In the following generation, when the corn was 

 grown in California, I obtained some first-class 

 ears with almost their entire lot of kernels wrin- 

 kled, and was confident that in another year I 

 could have obtained the variety desired; namely, 

 one that would bear exclusively wrinkled or sweet 

 corn kernels of a yellow color. 



But the pressure of other work led me to aban- 

 don the experiments at this stage. 



There is peculiar interest, in the light of more 

 recent knowledge, in noting the results of these 

 early crossbreeding experiments, as just related. 

 It will be observed that I had no difficulty in ob- 

 taining crossbred corn with the yellow kernels 

 of one of the parent forms, but that it was difficult 

 to secure a complete ear of wrinkled sweet corn 

 kernels. 



STARCH VERSUS SUGAR 



To understand the conditions clearly, it should 

 be explained that the kernel of the sweet corn 

 differs from that of field corn in that it contains 

 a large percentage of sugar in solution, and that 

 the wrinkling of the kernel is the outward sign 

 of this condition. 



The smooth kernel, on the other hand, is one 

 in which the sugar content has been largely trans- 



[32] 



