56 



THE BOOK OF CORN 



bred seed. As yet the demand has been but little de- 

 veloped. Farmers are just beginning to realize the 

 importance and benefit of improved seed, but even now 

 corn breeders are not able to supply the demand. That 

 this demand will increase far beyond the capacity of 

 corn breeders to supply/there is no doubt. 



The advantages of improved seed 

 corn are numerous and the grower 

 quickly reaps the benefit. For instance, 

 barrenness can be bred out of corn. The 

 barren stalks represent a direct and great 

 loss to the corn grower. If every stalk of 

 corn bore an average sized ear weighing 

 a pound in a field planted in hills of three 

 feet six inches by three feet six inches, 

 one stalk to the hill, there would be a 

 yield of about fifty bushels to the acre ; if 

 two stalks in every hill, the yield would 

 be over one hundred bushels per acre. 

 As it is very probable that every field has 

 an average of at least two stalks to the 

 hill, one year with another, why is it that 

 the average yield is less than one-third 

 the above ideal yield ? Part of the loss is 

 undoubtedly due to the fact that some of 

 the stalks produce no ears. By eliminat- 



FiglT-ComSUk . the barren ^^ ^ {qss ^^ ^ 



Greatly magni- ° 

 fied.showinggrains overcome, 

 of poUen Serine ^ . g f ^^ ^ ^ ^ ears ^ 



not uniform in size. Only a small proportion are 

 uniformly large. The majority are irregular, many 

 being very small and stunted. It is the function 

 of the corn breeder to increase the uniformity 

 of the crop by selecting and preserving only the 

 best ears. The proportion of corn to cob, the 

 shape of ear, the filling out of ends, are all subject 



