24 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



rounded, occasionally somewhat converging; surface sparsely and 

 coarsely wrinkled: set slightly loose on cob. 



Hi «..i.l Grained. Livingston's. Ref. 324. Syn. Broad 

 Grained. Illus. 25. 



The existence of so many varieties of sweet corn 

 is based on the actual measurable differences which 

 exist in season, ear, or plant. This variety, intro- 

 duced by the Livingston Seed Co. of Columbus, Ohio, 

 about 1906, is as the name indicates, one with the 

 broadest kernel of all sweet corns. It was selected for 

 this character for several years prior to its introduction; 

 moreover, the variety exists today in about its original 

 form. The original corn from which Broad Grain was 

 selected is not known, but the type is represented by 

 Triumph which has been in existence since 1874. As 

 first advertised it was offered to those who " enjoy 

 running a knife blade down through the rows of grains 

 before eating, there would be no dodging of the knife 

 about the big grains." 



At Geneva edible ears were produced in 99 days, 

 about the same season as Stowell's Evergreen, 2 days 

 later than Country Gentleman and 1 or 2 days earlier 

 than Late Mammoth. The plants are equal in height 

 to those of Stowell's Evergreen, the tassels being slightly 

 longer and having laterals that are longer and more 

 drooping. The ears are slightly longer and more slender, 

 having kernels that are distinctly broader and shorter 

 than Stowell's. This is the largest and latest 8-rowed 

 sweet corn grown today. 



Plant tall, 7'2-7 3 i feet; stalks moderately heavy and straight; 

 nodes 10—12, somewhat exposed, moderately prominent; internodes 

 slightly streaked with red on exposed portions. Brace roots present 

 on one node, quite heavy and useful. Tillers moderately few, 

 nearly as tall as central stalk. Leaves moderately long and broad, 

 32-34 x 3' L >-4 inches; sheath equal to and often slightly shorter 

 than internode. Tassel long and heavy, 21-22 inches; terminal 

 spike erect to slightly drooping; lateral spikelets slightly drooping, 

 many present, long, slender branched and moderately crowded; 

 bracts green, moderately striped with red; anthers buff (pinard 

 yellow to chamois); 72-74 days to anthesis. 



Ears borne at 5th and 6th nodes, often two ears per stalk, 

 one occasionally a nubbin. Husks few and thick, short, rather 

 tightly wrapped, difficult to remove. Husked ear long and medium 

 plump, 9-10 x l 7 s-2 inches; partly cylindrical and slightly tapering 

 near tip; base slightly expanded and open; tip conical, slightly 

 exposed to capped; rows 8, occasionally paired, straight; furrows 

 moderately deep and narrow. 



Kernels at milk stage white, large, broad and shallow; at dry 

 stage dull creamy white, distinctly wide, medium depth and thick- 

 ness, 1.0 x 1.3 x .36 cm. 192 seeds per oz. ); short broad oval in shape; 

 crown rounded; surface shallowly and coarsely wrinkled; set tightly 

 on cob. 



Burbank Early Maine. Refs. 16, 22, 23, 90, 91, 94, 99, 



105, 107, 121, 238, 291, 328, 329, 350, 367, 368, 



403, 411, 508, 510, 511, 515, 533, 536, 537, 538. 



Syns. Burbank Early, Burbank Early White, 



Early Maine, June 21st, Maine. 

 This variety came from the state whose name 

 it bears, and whose latitude is an indication of easi- 

 ness in all vegetation. E. W. Burbank, the origi- 

 nator, selected from Cory a type with larger ear, pure 

 white cob with rich cream white kernel. Vaughan's 

 Seed Store in 1891 was the introducer, and the variety 



was featured for several years by many of the seedsmen. 

 Although not grown in trials at Geneva, experimental 

 trials in other northern states indicate that edible 

 maturity could be reached in about 80 days from the 

 time of planting. 



Plant moderately short, 4 1 2-5 1 ■_> feet; stalks moderately heavy. 

 Tillers usually absent. Tassel short and stiff; laterals simple. 

 Ears borne low, 10-14 inches from the ground; husked ears moder- 

 ately short and moderately plump, especially at the base, 6-7 x 

 l?4-2 inches; distinctly tapering; base enlarged and often expanded; 

 tip conical and fairly well filled; rows 8, rather irregular, with 

 furrows prominent at the base. Kernels at milk stage white, 

 medium size, broader than long; surface rough and irregular, usually 

 coarsely wrinkled. 



Burr's Improved. Refs. 9, 14, 87, 271, 272, 433, 491, 

 507, 508, 524, 533. Syns. Burr's Large Sweet or 

 Sugar, Burr's Mammoth, Burr's Mammoth Sugar, 

 Burr's New Sugar, Burr's Sweet. 



The name " Burr's Improved Wrinkled Sweet 

 Corn " occurs in the U. S. Patent Office report for 

 1855, page 165, where a comparative analysis of the 

 corn cobs of 4 field corns and of 2 sweet corns was 

 given. Burr in 1863 began his description of Burr's 

 Improved (Syn. Burr's Sweet) with the sentence: 

 " An improved form of the Twelve-rowed Sweet. The 

 ears are from 12 to 16 rowed, rarely 18." 



The name Twelve-rowed Sweet would seem to be 

 a rather definite term but early descriptions of the 

 corn grown under this name describe ears of from 10 

 to 16 rows. Wm. Charlton who in 1857 wrote a short 

 essay on sweet corn for The Horticulturist describes 

 Twelve-rowed Sweet: " This is rather short and small 

 in the cob, averaging from 12-16 rows, deep not large 

 seeds, fleshy, lightest yellow color when cooked." It 

 would seem, therefore, that the Twelve-rowed Sweet 

 was considerably mixed for ear type and number of 

 rows and that selection could easily have been made 

 which might have resulted in several new varieties 

 based on a definite number of rows. 



There must have been a progenitor of this 12-16 

 rowed corn, but we must admit failure to find an original 

 source. From a rather brief history of sugar cane 

 written about 1855 we find this paragraph: " The 

 earliest records we have of the sugar-cane ( if we except 

 a slight allusion by the prophet Job) are found in the 

 writings of authors who lived 3 centuries before the 

 Christian Era. From them, we simply learn that the 

 history of this plant, like that of many other necessaries 

 of life was involved in obscurity." This applies to the 

 history of many varieties of sweet corn, among them 

 Burr's Improved and its supposed precursor, Twelve- 

 rowed Sweet. They came, but just how and just when 

 is not known. The type continued, and the names to 

 represent the type expanded like the fins of a fan. 

 The basis for the following description is largely that 

 secured from the work of Sturtevant and other early 

 workers. 



Plant tall, 7-8 feet; stalks heavy and straight. Ears borne 

 30-36 inches from the ground. Husked ears long and very plump, 

 8-10 x 2-2 ' 4 inches, slightly tapering; tip rounded and nearly 

 capped; rows 12-16, rarely 18, usually straight and regular, crowded 

 around the cob. Kernels at milk stage white, broad and deep; 



