28 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



brown (pecan brown); blending into a more yellow shade on the 

 embryo side; medium size, broad and short, .9 x 1.04 x .4 cm. 

 (120 seeds per oz.); short, broad oval in shape; crown distinctly 

 rounded, almost semi-circular; surface sparsely and very shallowly 

 wrinkled, almost smooth; set tightly on red cob. 



Cosmopolitan. Refs. 66, 78, 241, 403, 517, 518, 533, 

 546. Syn. Early Cosmopolitan. 



For many years early varieties with small ears of 8 to 

 1 rows outnumbered the varieties with larger ears. This 

 position was gradually reversed as the years went on until 

 there were more and more large-eared varieties on the 

 market. Growers found it difficult to market small-eared 

 early corn after the large ears had been taken to market. 

 New varieties of sweet corn fairly early and with large 

 attractive ears were quickly taken up by the growers. 



Such was the case with Cosmopolitan which origi- 

 nated with Everett B. Clark of Connecticut and was 

 introduced by W. Atlee Burpee in 1901. It was accepted 

 as a worthwhile sort and offered by all major seed houses. 

 As a measure of its popularity we would point out that 

 it was listed by Burpee until 1923 when its place was 

 probably taken by Burpee's Delicious. In some respects 

 it resembled Early Champion, Metropolitan and Howling 

 Mob. The ears were 7 to 9 inches long with 12 rows 

 and were well filled to the tip. A weakness of the 

 variety was the occasional rather insecure stalk which 

 grew 5 to 6 feet high. 



Country Gentleman. Refs. 74, 76, 95, 120, 121, 123, 

 124, 126, 207, 208, 220, 238, 240, 241, 290, 295, 328, 

 329, 335, 338, 344, 348, 350, 368, 403, 404, 405, 

 412, 445, 446, 447, 449, 474, 478, 498, 503, 508, 

 510, 512, 513, 514, 515, 516, 517, 518, 525, 533, 

 546, 549, 562. Syns. Improved Country Gentle- 

 man, " Shoe Peg." Illus. 25. 

 Country Gentleman, a variety name which was 14 

 years in the coming, was originated for the express pur- 

 pose of excelling the Shoe Peg corn in size. It was in- 

 troduced in 1890 by Frank C. Woodruff of S. D. Woodruff 

 & Sons, Orange, Connecticut, and a year later by Peter 

 Henderson & Co. of New York. The name, and the 

 variety pattern it represented followed the succession of 

 Quaker Sweet to Ne Plus Ultra to Shoe Peg. Each had 

 been selected for a larger sized ear, for as Gregory said in 

 1893, " who that has raised that sweetest of all varieties of 

 sugar corn which we were the first to catalog under the 

 name of ' Quaker Sweet ' has not regretted that the ear 

 was so small as to make it difficult to market it? " The 

 new introduction was received with such general acclaim 

 that no improvement has been required to make Country 

 Gentleman the best of its type. 



Ninety-seven days were required to reach the mature 

 edible stage at Geneva. This was 1 day earlier than 

 Stowell's Evergreen, 6 days earlier than Cincinnati 

 Market and 2 days later than The Henderson. 



Plants are about the same height as those of Cincin- 

 nati Market, but lack the stockiness and short internodes 

 of that variety. The ears are longer and more tapering, 

 while the kernels are distinctly smaller and deeper. 

 The majority of home garden enthusiasts recognize 

 two late or main crop varieties — Country' Gentleman 



and Stowell's Evergreen. Country Gentleman has long 

 been one of the universally well known and liked sweet- 

 corn varieties. It is easy to understand, then, how a 

 variety of such wide acquaintance has remained as a 

 popular favorite these many years. Its usage is not 

 altogether confined to the home garden, since consider- 

 able acreage is grown for the fresh market and the canning 

 industry. The sweetness and tenderness of kernel has 

 been appreciated by everyone who has used it. 



Plant tall, 7-7 ' ■> feet; stalk moderately heavy, straight; 

 nodes 12-14, covered, not prominent, shaded with red at the base. 

 Brace roots present on 1st and occasionally 2nd nodes, moderately 

 heavy, whorl complete, useful. Tillers variable in number, slightly 

 shorter than central stalk. Leaves moderately long and medium 

 broad, 32-34 x 3? j-4 inches; sheath longer than and occasionally 

 equal to internode. Tassels long, heavy, coarse and very bushy, 

 20-22 inches; terminal spike erect; lateral spikelets horizontal, very 

 many present, multi-branched, moderately long and very crowded; 

 bracts green, rather heavily striped with dark red; anthers uniformly 

 dark red van dyke to vinaceous russet ) ; 76-77 days to anthesis. 



Ears borne on the 5th and 6th nodes, often two ears per stalk; 

 one occasionally a nubbin; shank short and moderately slender, 2-3 

 inches. Husks many, rather thin, moderately short, loosely wrapped 

 and easily removed. Silk decidedly abundant, very long, uniformly 

 dark red, not easily removed. Husked ear moderately long and 

 plump, 8-9 x 23 s— 2 J 4 inches, decidedly tapering; base enlarged 

 and compressed; tip long conical, slightly exposed; without regular 

 rows, exceedingly crowded and close fitting around the cob. 



Kernels at milk stage white, very long and narrow; at dry stage 

 dull white, very long, slender, peg-like or cuneate in shape, 1.29 x 

 .50 x .31 cm. 1 230 seeds per oz.}; crown angular, usually irregularly 

 dimple-dented; surface rough, deeply and coarsely wrinkled; set 

 rather loosely on cob. 



Crosby. Refs. 14, 17, 25, 61, 65, 73, 74, 89, 90, 91, 93, 

 95, 120, 122, 123, 197, 199, 207, 208, 214, 218, 236, 

 238, 240, 241, 243, 310, 328, 329, 367, 368, 397, 

 403, 404, 406, 407, 408, 410, 414, 422, 430, 442, 

 444, 456, 487, 503, 507, 508, 533, 535, 536, 545. 

 Syns. " Boston Market," Crosby Dwarf Sugar, 

 Crosby Early Dwarf, Crosby's Early Sugar, 

 Crosby Early 12 -Row. Des Moines, Early 

 Crosby, Early Des Moines, Extra Early Crosby, 

 Fottler's Early, Harris Sweet, Maine Crosby, 

 Market Gardener, Medium Crosby, Original 

 Crosby, True Crosby. Illus. 25, 30. 

 This sweet corn is one of the oldest of all varieties. 

 It bears the name of Josiah Crosby who was also the 

 originator of the Crosby Beet. Josiah Crosby, who was 

 born in 1805, did not become a farmer on his own land 

 until the year 1847 when he moved to Arlington, Massa- 

 chusetts, and began an experience of 40 years as a market 

 gardener, in which he had no superiors and few equals. 

 A memorial resolution published in the 1887 Trans- 

 actions of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society says, 

 " he earnestly strove to attain excellence and in the effort 

 to improve the quality of market vegetables, he originated 

 the excellent variety of sweet corn which was named for 

 him." 



Sturtevant claims that Crosby was introduced in 

 1860 which seems probable since it was listed by Thor- 

 burn in 1871, Breck in 1870, Vick, 1870, and by Gregory 

 in 1867. Its origin is quite unknown since it differs 

 from any of the types then known. In the deep kernel 



