SWEET CORN OR SUGAR CORN 263 



SEED 



190. The canning men as a rule raise their own seed, 

 or have it raised on private farms by contract. In raising 

 seed it is important to keep it free from contamination with 

 other varieties, especially with field corn. When a sweet 

 com field is within a quarter of a mile of field com, the 

 sweet corn ear is likely to have kernels that resemble the 

 field corn, due to wind-blown pollen. All blocks of seed 

 corn should be far enough apart to protect against cross- 

 pollination. The commercial grower or market-gardener 

 very often produces his own seed. 



In some cases the seed has been maintained on the same 

 farm for many years. Some of these growers have suc- 

 ceeded by careful selection in developing desirable early 

 types suited to their needs and as a result are able to 

 market their product very early and secure the highest 

 price. 



191. The home gardener must depend practically from 

 season to season upon the product that he can buy of 

 the seedsman. If the seedsman is one who practices 

 good methods of breeding and selecting his com, the re- 

 sultant seed is high class. If the seed is grown under con- 

 tract and care is given, the results are satisfactory. When 

 a large firm is responsible, it is reasonable to expect that 

 the corn will come true to name. 



192. Breeding and selecting sweet corn offers an interest- 

 ing field for investigation. As explained before (page 105)' 

 the sweet com grain type and starchy grain do not blend 

 in hybridizing. The sweet com type of grain is a reces- 

 sive. This makes it possible to cross sweet corn with any 

 type of starchy corn and, by selecting sweet corn grains 

 from the hybrids, have pure sweet corns at once which 



