DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 



23 



more extensively than it is at present. Home gardeners 

 must watch carefully the development of the kernels, 

 since they are ready for cooking several days before 

 they show color and remain sweet and tender for several 

 days afterwards. It has created considerable popu- 

 larity in the home garden where its high quality has 

 been appreciated. Certain geneticists have used it 

 in order to increase the quality of various sweet corn 

 hybrids in their breeding projects. 



Plant medium tall, 5 1 4 -5 3 4 feet: stalks moderately slender 

 and straight: nodes 10-12, covered, not prominent. Brace roots 

 occasionally present, slender, not very useful. Tillers few, about 

 1 _• as tall as central stalk. Leaves medium long and moderately 

 narTow, 28-32 x 3 1 4 -3'_. inches: decidedly pale green in color; 

 sheath longer than internode. Tassel moderately short and rather 

 heavy, 15-16 inches, distinctly pale green in color; terminal spike 

 erect : lateral spikelets horizontal to slightly drooping, branched, 

 many present and crowded; bracts pale whitish green striped with 

 slightly darker green; anthers uniformly pale yellow (pinard yellow i; 

 64-66 days to anthesis. 



Ears borne at 4th and 5th nodes, one and often two ears per 

 stalk. Shank moderately short and slender, 2—4 inches. Husk 

 leaves few, very short and light. Husks medium in number and 

 length, tightly wrapped, not easily removed. Silk moderately 

 long but scanty, uniformly pale green in color. Husked ear medium 

 long and moderately slender, 7-8 x ljs-l 5 , inches, partly cylindri- 

 cal and slightly tapering: base slightly open; tip conical and slightly 

 exposed; rows 8, very often paired, straight, regular; furrows deep 

 and narrow. 



Kernels at milk stage white, very soon changing to bluish 

 black in late edible stage; rather large, moderately broad, shallow 

 and rather thin; at dry stage dull black, occasionally with a slate- 

 gray tinge: broad as long, medium thickness, 1.1 x 1.2 x .40 cm. (76 

 seeds per oz.); broad oval in shape; crown rounded, almost semi- 

 circular; surface abundantly, finely and rather deeply wrinkled; 

 set moderately tight on cob. 



Bonanza. Refs. 22, 90, 91, 220, 290, 328, 367, 368, 508, 



509, 512, 513, 514, 533. Syns. Early Bonanza, 



Extra Early Bonanza, New Bonanza, New Early 



Bonanza, Sweet Bonanza, Sweet Early Bonanza. 



This variety, one of many to be introduced soon 



after 1890. combined size with earliness. Apparently 



it was introduced simultaneously in 1892 by both Johnson 



fit Stokes of Philadelphia and A. W. Livingston's Sons, 



Columbus, Ohio. Its origin is credited to a Philadelphia 



gardener who " astonished " his brother gardeners by 



having such early big corn. Some sources give the 



variety as a synonym of Squantum but no clean cut 



record is available of its early history. 



The dry ears were 12 -rowed, about 6 inches long, 

 1?4 inches in diameter and contained abundantly 

 wrinkled, long white kernels loosely set on a whitish cob. 



Boston Market. Refs. 90, 91, 122, 218, 240, 508, 533. 

 Syns. Boston, " Crosby's Early Sugar," " Crosby 

 Extra Early," Early Boston Market. 

 This variety was really listed as Crosby's Extra Early 

 Sugar, or Boston Market (" Josiah Crosby Strain ") in 

 1892 by W. W. Rawson, Boston, Massachusetts. The 

 ears of this strain were smaller and less pointed than the 

 Early Crosby which later became the permanent repre- 

 sentative of this type. Although similar in name, it was 

 quite different from Early Boston Market offered and 

 described by Gregory in 1890. The latter supposedly | 



came from Crosby but had a much longer or larger ear 

 of 10-12 rows and rather coarse kernels. It had quite 

 a run for a few years, but had no real merit as a table 

 corn. 



Branching. Refs. 85, 345, 348, 534. Syn. Abundance. 



This variety originated with T. C. Kevitt of 

 Athenia, New Jersey, who perfected the strain by care- 

 ful breeding until it was released to W. Atlee Burpee 

 Co. and introduced in 1928. The ability to produce a 

 large number of ears per plant has not been a major 

 characteristic of most of the varieties of sweet corn. 

 One to two ears per stalk is the consistent record through- 

 out the list. Burpee's Branching when introduced in 

 1928 was promoted as a sensational new sweet corn 

 because of the consistency with which the plants pro- 

 duced 3 to 6 ears per stalk. Pictures of plants showing 

 6 ears from one seed are shown in the catalogs which 

 indicate that this production is the result of a strong 

 branching habit of the plant. 



Early records show that in 1871 and 1872 a variety 

 known as Judson's Branching Sugar was listed by 

 Thorburn, Gregory and Vick. This corn was evidently 

 a field variety but produced from 3 to 5 ears per stalk. 



Edible ears were produced at Geneva in 92 days, in 

 season with Early Evergreen, 6 days earlier than 

 Egyptian and 5 days later than Crosby. Plants are 

 1-1} 2 f eet shorter than those of Egyptian with a 

 decidedly greater tendency to tiller, and having tassels 

 much more slender and delicate. The ears are 2-3 

 inches shorter than those of Egyptian, have 2—4- less 

 rows, but possess kernels that are very similar in size, 

 shape and degree of whiteness both in the milk and 

 mature stages. Altho the name implies the production 

 of several ears per plant, no abnormal condition was 

 found to exist in trials at Geneva. The ears have, 

 however, been found to be exceedingly attractive and 

 uniform in shape and size. It is one of the few late 

 varieties with small ears and kernels. Those growers 

 interested in the production of moderately late corn that 

 is not of collosal size will find this one pleasing. 



Plant moderately tall, 6-6 ' jj feet: stalks slender and moderately 

 straight; nodes 10-12, covered, not prominent. Brace roots present, 

 slender, whorl incomplete, partially useful. Tillers very many, 

 equal to and occasionally slightly shorter than central stalk. Leaves 

 medium long and moderately narrow, 30-32 x 2 3 4 -3 I 2 inches; 

 sheath longer than internode. Tassel medium long and slender, 

 16-18 inches, often streaked or solid red at the base; terminal spike 

 erect; lateral spikelets horizontal to slightly drooping, many present, 

 medium long, crowded: bracts green, sparsely striped with red; 

 anthers variable in color; 70-72 days to anthesis. 



Ears borne at 4th to 6th nodes, two ears per stalk with an 

 additional nubbin usually present; shank short and very slender, 

 2-3 inches. Husks few, light, medium length, wrapped loosely 

 and easily removed, often lightly tinged with pale red along the 

 margin of exposed area. Silk abundant, moderately long and 

 rather easily removed. Husked ears moderately short and moder- 

 ately slender, 6-7 x l'_»-l 5 s inches, moderately tapering; base 

 compressed; tip abruptly conical and usually capped; rows 12, 

 moderately straight, slightly irregular and twisted at the base, 

 crowded around the cob. 



Kernels at milk stage white; small, narrow and medium deep; 

 at dry stage opalescent white, moderately long and narrow, thin, 

 1.15 x .97 x .41 cm. (132 seeds per oz.); triangular; crown slightly 



