CORN BREEDING 131 



varieties. Selection in the crib tends to reduce the pro- 

 portion of plants bearing two ears, and thus it may even 

 be the means of reducing the yield. This is because in 

 the crib, the largest ears are chosen, and these are most 

 frecjuently from plants that produced only one ear. Selec- 

 tion in the crib is of more value when onlj- one ear per 

 plant is desired. But even in this case, crib-selection may 

 serve to perpetuate plants with ears borne too high on the 

 stalk or having other serious faults. 



118. Selection without an ear-to-row test. — Those 

 who cannot take the pains and time needed to plant an 

 ear-to-row seed patch (see Par. 120) will profit by pajdng 

 to some one else even a high price for corn thus improved. 

 Such seed corn should be bought on the ear, so that all the 

 qualities of the ear may be kno"\\ar. 



It may be possible to maintain the excellence of a variety, 

 but scarcely to effect rapid improvement, by simply select- 

 ing in the entire field ears from the best and most produc- 

 tive plants. To do this, the farmer should himself go 

 through his field before harvest time and in a bag or basket 

 gather as many ears as will be needed for seed. In making 

 these selections, harvest the ears from the most produc- 

 tive plants, but not from those the productiveness of which 

 is due to richer soil, to unusual distance from the next 

 plant, or to other temporary advantage. Excellence due 

 to these accidental causes is not transmitted to the next 

 generation. 



119. Accidental versus inherited excellence. — Great 

 improvement in the yield of corn may he effected through 

 the process of selection Avith a view to identifying and 

 propagating those indi^ddual plants that have strong 



