CORN OR MAIZE 83 



times, too, after a few years of selection for a special type, 

 the grower renames one of the older varieties. This has 

 naturally led to considerable confusion, and emphasizes 

 the importance of a uniform nomenclature. Many of 

 the older varieties and some of the newer ones have been 

 developed into a fixed variety type by careful and con- 

 sistent selection. Thus Learning, Reid's Yellow Dent, 

 and Pride of the North are distinct varieties, while many 

 other so-called varieties are only selections from the older 

 varieties. 



65. Variety test. — The selection of a variety for any 

 given locality involves the choice of a variety adapted to 

 the soil and climate. Not only must it be adapted to soil 

 and climate, but it must also be a high yielder of a good 

 quality of corn. It is not safe to select a variety from a 

 distance or even from a neighboring county, unless one 

 is sure that it will be adapted to the conditions found on 

 the farm on which it is to be grown. Corn plants are 

 sensitive to a change of soil and climate. A variety that 

 is well adapted to one section of the country or to one 

 farm may not be suited to another farm. Many have 

 experienced sad results from buying seed from a well- 

 recommended variety in another state or even within the 

 same state. The custom of purchasing seed from growers 

 of prize-winning corn regardless of adaptability of that 

 variety to the conditions under which it is to be grown, 

 has often resulted in serious loss to the purchaser. The 

 only safe way to get seed corn from a distance is to pur- 

 chase a small amount and try it out for a few years in a 

 small plot. If it produces a good yield of mature corn, 

 a larger amount of seed corn can then be secured for 

 seeding a larger acreage. Maturity is an important 

 consideration. Immature corn, as pointed out in the 



