HISTORY OF T.HE CORN PLANT 3 



theory. He states that corn and Teosinte may have had a common 

 origin, and he intimates that in the process of evolution it is probable 

 that the pistillate spikes in Teosinte were developed from the lateral 

 branches of a tassel-like structure, while corn was developed from the 

 central spike. Further, he suggests that the progenitor of these plants 

 was a large, much branched grass, each branch being terminated by a 

 tassel-like structure. 



Bailey also expresses an opinion that 7ea canina may not be a dis- 

 tinct species from our common corn. He mentions the tendency of 

 some varieties of sweet corn to occasionally produce multiple rudimen- 

 tary ears, and of the canina to lose them under cultivation, as a point 

 in favor of the theory of the relation. The tendency of cultivation in 

 all plants is to develop some parts and organs rather than all parts 

 and all organs. The tendency to sucker, to produce tassels on the ends 

 of the ears, the profuse drooping tassels of the flint corn and kindred 

 varieties, or pointed kernels, and the occurrence of these peculiarities 

 in the aboriginal corn in the Aztec region tends to emphasize the 

 relation that exists between the varieties. 



From the natural characteristics of the corn plant we may safely 

 conclude that the distribution of the species was necessarily of an 

 artificial nature, for the seed has no wing or appendage which would 

 permit it to be blown about by the wind. Furthermore, the perishable 

 nature of the seed was directly opposed to Nature's methods of scat- 

 tering the species. It seems safe to assume that the species that exist 

 today have either been developed by man and perpetuated by this 

 same agency, or that man came upon the plant soon after its useful 

 development and at once began to cultivate it. There are at present 

 eight species of the genus Zeas. 



In 1814 there were only five varieties of corn (Zea Mays) known, 

 i. e.. Big Yellow, Big White, Little Yellow, Little White and Gourd- 

 seed. Both the large and small varieties were flinty, corresponding to 

 the old type of flint corn. The gourd-seed corn represents perhaps 

 the first step in the development of the dent corn of today. It was 

 characterized by a deep, pointed, soft kernel of either white or yellow 

 color. By 1840 nearly forty varieties were known. These were based 

 primarily upon color, size of ear, and density of kernel. At least one 

 of our present standard breeds had its origin previous to that time and 

 others soon followed. 



