PREFACE 



Under authority from the State, Laws of 1925, the New York State Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station is publishing a work entitled The Vegetables of 

 New York. The publication is to be issued in three volumes of several parts 

 each. Part I of Volume 1, The Peas of New York, was printed in 1928; Part II, 

 The Beans of New York, was printed in 1931. The Sweet Corn of New York now 

 appears as Part III of Volume I. 



The Vegetables of New York is intended to be a more or less complete 

 record of the vegetables grown in New York. In this work the separate chapters 

 give the historical and botanical status of Maize; full horticultural descriptions 

 of sweet and other types of corn used as a vegetable; and as complete a history 

 of the evolution of these varieties as will show their past and present standing. 



The chief value to seedsmen and to growers of sweet corn lies in the discussion 

 of varieties. The considerations which have governed the selection of varieties 

 for full description and separation into major or minor sorts are : The present value 

 to commercial and home growers of vegetables, the potential merit of new varieties, 

 and the previous importance of historical varieties to the trade. An effort has 

 also been made to give the vegetable breeder as complete information as possible 

 on the characters of seed, plant and fruit, to describe varieties which have in 

 the past been leading sorts and which therefore are of value in showing the trend 

 of evolution in sweet corn, and to indicate the relationship of varieties. 



Chapter II on the Systematic Botany of Maize and that part of Chapter I 

 on the early history of corn were written by Professor Van Eseltine, Systematic 

 Botanist for this Station. The remainder of the work was written by Professors 

 Tapley and Enzie. The authors wish to acknowledge many helpful suggestions 

 from Professor C. B. Sayre, Chief of the Division of Vegetable Crops at this Station. 



U. P. HEDRICK 

 Director, New York Agricultural Experiment Station 



