34 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



across the crown instead of converging, often more 

 regularly arranged in rows and less coarsely wrinkled 

 and creased. 



There is undoubtedly more variation in strains of 

 Early Evergreen than between strains of any other 

 variety in common usage. Ferry's Early Evergreen pro- 

 duces a shorter, less vigorous plant that quite consistently 

 produces distinctly whitish green tassels that bear very 

 bright yellow anthers. It, however, produces a short 

 Stowell's Evergreen ear type with its characteristic con- 

 verging crown to the dry kernels with coarse, deep wrink- 

 ling and creasing. Earle's Early Evergreen is probably 

 the most widely divergent of the types sold under this 

 name. The ears are 7 to 9 inches long, possess 12 rows 

 of kernels that are decidedly shorter than any other 

 strain. Moreover, it produced edible ears in 88 days 

 at Geneva, which was 4 days earlier than the type 

 described. The type represented by C. S. Clark's Early 

 Evergreen which is regarded as typical by the majority 

 of seedsmen, is described below. 



Plant tall, 8-8) i feet; stalks heavy and straight; nodes 12-14, 

 slightly exposed, not very prominent. Brace roots present, heavy, 

 whorl complete on one node, useful. Tillers few, slightly shorter 

 than central stalk. Leaves long and medium broad, 34-36 x 3 ' 2-4 

 inches; sheath slightly shorter than internode. Tassel moderately 

 long, 18-20 inches, heavy and coarse; terminal spike erect; lateral 

 spikelets horizontal to slightly drooping, medium long, many, 

 crowded; bracts green, very slight to no red stripe present; anthers 

 buff (deep colonial buff to chamois); 62-64 days to anthesis. 



Ears borne at 5th and 6th nodes, one ear per stalk in addition 

 to one nubbin present. Shank short and heavy, 2-3 inches. Husks 

 moderately many, heavy, rather short and tightly wrapped, some- 

 what difficult to remove. Silk moderately abundant, long and 

 red. Husked ear medium long and plump, 7-8 x 2-2 1 . 4 inches, 

 somewhat cylindrical to slightly tapering; base slightly enlarged 

 and compressed; tip abruptly conical and slightly exposed; rows 

 16-18, straight, slightly irregular at the base, crowded around the 

 cob. 



Kernels at milk stage white, moderately large, medium width, 

 deep; at dry stage opalescent white, decidedly longer than broad, 

 rather thin, 1.3 x .78 x .33 cm. (112 seeds per oz.), rectangular; 

 crown nearly straight across; surface very deeply creased and 

 wrinkled; set loosely on cob. 



Early Fordhook. Refs. 74, 77, 97, 238, 240, 298, 328, 

 329, 335, 345, 348, 382, 403, 404, 405, 453, 454, 

 503, 513, 514, 546. Syns. Firstin, Fordhook. 



Introduced by W. Atlee Burpee Co. of Phila- 

 delphia, this variety has been continued in present 

 day catalogs of that company as the " earliest large 

 white sweet corn." No information concerning its 

 history, other than that it came from a grower in 

 Connecticut, is available. When introduced it was 

 one of many new varieties that were put forth as 

 superior to Cory in one or more characters. Eariy 

 Fordhook was advertised as earlier than Cory with a 

 longer ear and deeper kernel. 



At Geneva Fordhook required 82 days to reach 

 edible maturity. This was 3 days earlier than Ford's 

 Early, in season with Adam's Early and 2 days later 

 than Whipple's Early. Plants most resemble those of 

 Ford's Early, being more slender and zigzag with tillers 

 considerably shorter in proportion to the central stalk. 

 The ear shanks are longer with husks shorter and more 



tightly wrapped. The husked ears are slightly shorter, 

 more variable in the number of rows and contain kernels 

 which, on the 8 rowed specimens at least, are noticeably 

 broader. 



Plant medium tall, 5 s 4-6 feet; stalk moderately slender and 

 slightly zigzag; nodes 8-9, exposed, somewhat prominent; exposed 

 portions of internodes streaked with red. Brace roots occasionally 

 present, not very useful. Tillers few, much shorter than central 

 stalk. Leaves medium long and moderately narrow, 28-30 x 3 }.j-3 ' 2 

 inches; sheath shorter than internode. Tassel moderately long and 

 slender, 18-20 inches; streaked with red at the base; terminal spike 

 slightly drooping; lateral spikelets slightly drooping, moderately 

 many, moderately long, and somewhat crowded; bracts and anthers 

 quite variable in color; 58-60 days to anthesis. 



Ears borne at 3rd and 4th nodes, one and occasionally two 

 ears per stalk, one usually a nubbin. Shank variable but usually 

 6—9 inches long, tough. Husks rather short, tightly wrapped, 

 heavy, not easily removed. Husked ear medium long and moder- 

 ately slender, 7-8 x l'^-l^g inches, moderately tapering; base 

 slightly expanded and open; tip long, conical, and slightly exposed; 

 rows 8-10, very often paired, moderately straight; furrows on 8-row 

 ears deep and wide at the base, not crowded around the cob. 



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

 stage dull white, very broad and medium long, 1.1 x 1.25 x .41 cm. 

 (80 seeds per oz. ); broad, short oval in shape; crown rounded; 

 surface abundantly but rather shallowly wrinkled, often coarse; 

 set tightly on cob. 



Early Fortune. Refs. 41, 299. Syns. Early Harvester, 

 Extra Early Fortune, Extra Early Harvester. 

 This sweet corn was grown in trials at Geneva for 

 several years, and as an early 8-rowed variety proved to 

 be quite similar to Aroostock Early. Early Fortune has 

 been listed since 1918 by the J. W. Jung Seed Co. of 

 Randolph, Wisconsin, who accredit its origin to a 

 Canadian source. These varieties represent a type 

 which might well have been that of the original Malakoff 

 but the instability of present stalks make the com- 

 parison impossible. 



Early Hampshire. Ref. 55. 



Joseph Breck & Sons, Boston, secured this from a 

 New Hampshire farmer who had selected it for earliness 

 from Quincy Market. The variety therefore is similar to 

 certain stocks of Crosby but a comparison of ears from 

 these 3 varieties showed those of Early Hampshire to be 

 larger. Breck first listed the variety in 1915 and for 

 many years a considerable quantity of seed was sold to 

 New England growers. White varieties today have very 

 definitely lost their favored position in the Boston district 

 and whereas in 1915 Breck listed 13 white varieties to 1 

 yellow, in 1933 the ratio was changed to 6 white and 8 

 yellow. This may account for the dropping of many very 

 excellent white varieties, among them Early Hampshire, 

 which was last offered in 1927. 



Early Iowa. Refs. 133, 541. 



Vaughan's Seed Store offered Early Iowa in 1909 as 

 the earliest real sweet corn of marketable size. The origi- 

 nator, W. B. Perry of Cresco, Iowa, claimed to have 

 crossed Perry's Hybrid and Salzer's Northern Pedigree 

 nearly 50 years ago. The stock was kept in his posses- 

 sion until discovered by Vaughan. Pictures show that it 

 was an 8-rowed ear, about as large as Cory. In earliness 

 it was within 2 days of Malakhoff and a week earlier 

 than Cory. Vaughan carried this variety until 1924. 



