ECONOMIC PLANTS 191 



allowed for each wagon and team, the train of corn would have reached 

 nine times around the earth at the equator. Cyclopedia of American 

 Agriculture. 



All the states in the temperate belt raise more or less 

 corn, but the seven where " corn is king " are Illinois, 

 Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, and Kansas. 

 The corn plant is a native of North America, probably 

 originating in Mexico, although it thrives well in the 

 regions farther north. The early settlers in this country 

 were taught its use and culture by the Indians, who had 

 cultivated each season their fields of maize from time 

 out of mind. It formed the staple food of the first 

 settlers in each successive region to the west. While 

 not so much used for human food now, its increased 

 use as fodder, both in its green and its matured state, 

 has induced farmers in certain states especially adapted 

 to its growth to increase the acreage from year to 

 year, until now one third of the tilled land of this 

 country is planted to corn. 



Selecting Seed Corn. Germination tests for seed 

 corn have been described on page 151. Professor 

 Holden, Iowa, says : " One of the best plans is to select 

 fifty or one hundred of. the very best ears in the seed 

 corn, while making the test of germination. These 

 ears should then be butted and tipped and each ear 

 shelled by itself and carefully studied. The kernels 

 should have a bright, cheerful appearance, be full and 

 plump at the tips and have a large clear germ, otherwise 

 they should be discarded." 



All the seed corn for the next crop should be selected 

 from the patch which was planted from the very best 

 ears. It is a very common practice to select the occa- 

 sional good ears found throughout the husking season. 



