CHAPTER VIII 



IMPROVEMENT OF VARIETIES 



Perhaps no other cultivated plant in America has been 

 the object of so much study and attention, with the object 

 of adapting it to the various soils, climates, and needs of 

 man, as the corn plant. 



The plant is large, interesting, lends itself well to de- 

 tailed study, and responds readily to care or selection. 

 From earhest domestication by white men, there has 

 always been a large number of growers, giving time and 

 attention to its improvement. An infinite variety of 

 forms has been developed. Every detail of the plant has 

 been studied as to its possible economic value, in improv- 

 ing the yield or quaUty of grain or forage. Almost every 

 possible theory has been held by practical growers regard- 

 ing the relative value of different types of ear, leaf, stem, 

 or other parts of the plant. Of recent years, good scien- 

 tific study has also been made at many of the experiment 

 stations. In the following pages it is attempted to sum 

 up what is known to be of practical value in type of plant 

 or selection of methods. 



61. Type of ear. — From the earhest times it is probable 

 that some attention has been given to the types of ear 

 selected for seed. The originators of varieties have usually 

 had a well-defined type in mind, for which they have 

 selected. There is no evidence that the type of ear chosen 

 has had a direct relation to yield, since equally good 



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