EXPERIMENTS IN BREEDING SWEET CORN. 255 



formation of ear, especially with reference to shape and cover- 

 ing of tip. The earliness was regarded by all concerned as the 

 most important single point needing improvement. 



Accordingly in the summer of 1907 experiments in the im- 

 provement of sweet corn in regard to these characters by selec- 

 tion were inaugurated. As already stated it was desired to 

 carry through such selection work in the simplest manner pos- 

 sible, so that in the event of favorable results the same processes 

 could be repeated by any packer or grower. The general plan 

 it was proposed to follow was that of making field selections of 

 plants with reference to the desirable qualities, and then in the 

 following year planting the selected ears on the ear-to-row sys- 

 tem which brings the progeny of a single mother ear together in 

 the same row. Advice was sought from some of the leading 

 packers as to localities in which what they regarded as the best 

 corn was grown, so that selection might be started there. 



Throughout this work the Station has been greatly indebted 

 to the corn packers of the State for their hearty co-operation, 

 which has made it possible to carry on the investigation in a 

 more advantageous way than would otherwise have been the 

 case. In particular it is desired in this connection to express 

 the gratitude of the Station to the following companies and 

 individuals : The Burnham «& Morrill Co., The Portland Pack- 

 ing Co., Fernald, Keene and True Co., The Monmouth Canning- 

 Co., H. F. Webb Co., The Saco Valley Canning Co., the Unitejd 

 Packers, Mr. F. F. Noyes, Minot Packing Co., and Mr. 

 A. F. York. Also we wish to express our thanks to Mr. J. H. 

 Heath of Farmington, on whose farm all of the sweet corn work 

 except the making of some of the original field selections has 

 been done. Mr. Heath's long experience and skill as a sweet 

 corn grower have been invaluable aids in the work. 



r 



Work in 1907. 



Late in August 1907 the writers began the field selection of 

 sweet corn. Selections were made from varieties of both Type 

 I and Type H as defined above. The Type I selections were 

 made at Farmington and were from Dennett and Ellis strains. 

 The Type H selections were made at Newport and Dexter and 

 were from early and medium Crosby strains. 



