Man a Creator 63 



carry their pollen; grasses, sedges, and many 

 trees like the willows and poplars are familiar 

 examples. There protrudes from the young 

 ear the bunch of silk, each thread of which is a 

 style, its tip a stigma of one pistil. The ovary 

 contains one ovule and after fertilization it 

 develops into a single kernel of corn; there are 

 as many pistils and of course as many silks as 

 there are kernels in the ear. If two or more 

 kinds of corn are planted in the garden and these 

 tassel out at the same time, the kernels in the 

 ears may be in part or entirely hybrids. When 

 Mexican black corn and ordinary varieties are 

 planted together, some kernels on the ear will 

 be black, some white, depending on whether 

 they are hybrids or not. 



Since it has been found impossible as yet to 

 get any one corn that has all the desired 

 qualities in it and that breeds true, the farmer 

 often has recourse to planting in alternate rows 

 two varieties, each with some of the desirable 

 qualities, so that they will cross-pollinate and 

 the resultmg hybrid kernels, it is hoped, will 

 have most of the desired qualities. 



