I 



EXPERIMENTS IN BREEDING SWEET CORN. 265 



The most striking result in 1908 was the marked increase in 

 earhness exhibited in the selected corn of Type I, both in com- 

 parison with the same type of corn on the same land the season 

 before, and with other corn of the same type planted in the re- 

 gion about Farmington from factory seed in the same year 

 (1908). The amount of this gain in earliness accompanying 

 one year's selection is indicated by the following figures. The 

 first tassel in Plot I was found July 3, 1908. During the next 

 few days many more appeared. By July 6, 1908, the corn was 

 well tasseled out over the whole plot. The first silk came out 

 on July 14, 1908. In the period July 17-20, 1908, the silk was 

 well out over the whole field. By July 27 and 28, 1908, the 

 silk was drying on a large number of plants. By August 20, 

 1908, the corn in this plot was as a whole in the proper condi- 

 tion to go into the factory, although a good deal of it was past 

 good canning condition at that date. On August 28, 1908, 180 

 ears were harvested for seed. These were ears thoroughly ma- 

 tured for seed purposes : stalks dead and dried up. The corn 

 on the whole plot was thoroughly matured and ready to harvest 

 for seed September 6, 1908. Harvesting began at that time, 

 and on account of the number of records, etc., to be taken, con- 

 tinued till September 12. No other sweet corn grown in the 

 region about Farmington in 1908 was as early as this selected 

 corn in Plot I, by at least two weeks. In August, 1908, the 

 writers made a rather extended trip through the corn grow- 

 ing region of the southern and western parts of the State. No- 

 where was any corn seen which was as early as Plot I at Farm- 

 ington. 



Besides the gain in earliness, there was a marked improve- 

 ment in the quality of the seed as regards conformation of ear, 

 covering of tip, etc. This was commented upon by all who 

 saw the corn. Some indication regarding this point is given by 

 comparing Figs. 224, 225, 226 and 227, which represent some 

 of the seed ears obtained in 1907 and Figs. 228, 229 and 230, 

 which in the same way show some of the selected ears of 1908. 



Plot II did not give as good results as Plot I, in any particu- 

 lar. It compared however, very favorably with the best of the 

 corn grown from factory seed in the region around Farmington. 

 Data regarding the earliness of the corn in this plot are given in 

 the following figures. The first tassel was ncrted July 8, 1908. 



