CHAPTER VII 



CORN — BREEDING OR IMPROVEMENT 



CoEN breeding is concerned with determining (1) what 

 qualities of grain, ear, or plant are hereditary; (2) the 

 best method of finding hereditary qualities ; and (3) the 

 means of improv- 

 ing or modifying 

 heredit ary qualit ies . 



In other words, 

 the plant-breeder's 

 task is to maintain 

 desirable quahties 

 now in existence, 

 and to add to them 

 or so to combine 

 them as to make 

 subsequent crops 

 more productive, 

 or other-nise bet- 

 ter suited to the 

 farmer's needs. 



109. Improve- 

 ment of varieties. 



— Corn is so easily cross-pollinated and mixed with 

 inferior kinds (Fig. 70), that few of the so-called varieties 

 are strictly pure or uniform. Indeed, until within the 



127 



Fig. 70. — Shotting the I.mjiediate Effects 

 (in the Cuhhent Choss) of crossing a 

 White Pop Corn (on Left) with Pollen 

 FROM a Yellow Dent Corn (on Right). 

 The resulting hybrid ear with both white and 



yellow grains is shown in the center. 



