38 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



Early Southern Sweet. Refs. 22, 90, 91, 169, 508, 

 511, 535, 536. Syns. Early Southern, Southern. 

 This variety was a true hybrid corn, being the result 

 of crossing Minnesota on the " Cuzco, a Mexican species 

 with very tall stalks and short, thick ears, bearing grains 

 as large as chestnuts." D. M. Ferry & Co. made the 

 cross in 1832 and after selecting for 6 years introduced it 

 in 1888. The plants were like Minnesota in size with 

 stiff broad foliage, and bearing medium length 10-rowed 

 ears covered with thick, coarse husks. The grain was 

 large with a rather thick skin, but sweet and good. 



Earl} Sugar, Livingston's. Ref. 325. Syn. "Early 

 Sugar". 



This is a variety which was introduced in 1911 

 by the Livingston Seed Co., Columbus, Ohio. Although 

 the introducing company have continued it as a leading 

 variety, it has not been generally listed by the trade, at 

 least under the name Early Sugar. Although listed as 

 an addition to the early sweet corns. Early Sugar on the 

 basis of its performance at Geneva belongs in the 

 midseason group, having required on the average of 92 

 days to reach edible maturity. In the uniformity, 

 attractiveness and color of the ears it much resembles 

 those of Burpee's Branching. However, the lack of the 

 bushy habit of the plants due to lessened tendency to 

 tiller serves to partially distinguish the two. 



The outstanding characteristics of the variety seem to be the 

 vigor of the plant which at Geneva was tall, 6 ' _>-7 \ _, feet with heavy 

 stalk with few to no tillers present. The husked ear was medium 

 long and medium plump, 7-8 x l 5 s - l 3 4. moderately tapering, and 

 occasionally capped at the tip. The 12-14 rows of kernels were 

 rather small and shallow, very attractive, while the kernels in the 

 dry stage were distinctly opalescent white in color. 



Early Sunrise. Refs. 64, 207, 208, 238, 241, 280, 348, 

 406. Syns. New Early Sunrise, Sunrise, White 

 Sunrise. 

 The Iowa Seed Co., Des Moines, Iowa, intro- 

 duced this variety in 1899 and has featured it con- 

 tinuously. H. W. Buckbee, Rockford, Illinois, in 

 1901 offered a prize of SI 00 for the best name sent in and 

 accepted for a remarkable new sweet corn variety. The 

 next year, 1902, this was announced as Buckbee's Earlj- 

 " Sunrise " sweet corn. According to the catalogs of the 

 Iowa Seed Co., this sort originated with a farmer in 

 western Iowa who had perfected it by 8 years selection. 

 As grown at Geneva it was a midseason variety in 

 season with Peep O'Day, Early Minnesota, Early 

 Fordhook, and Vanguard. The plant was rather tall, 

 about 6 feet, slender, with a light feathery' tassel, and 

 ears 6 inches long, 10 to 12-rowed with a small white 

 cob. 



Earlj Sweet. Refs. 36, 89, 91, 167, 207, 208, 410, 418, 

 507, 508. 514. 535, 536. Syn. Early Sugar. 

 D. M. Ferry & Co. introduced Early Sweet or Sugar 

 in 1875 or thereabouts and it has remained continuously 

 in the catalogs of Ferry and the succeeding company. 

 Ferry-Morse. The early descriptions of the variety 

 are not wholly in agreement as to the length of ear but 

 after 1895 the type seems to have been rather definitely 



fixed as a long, slender, 7'o to 9-inch eared variety. 

 The name Early Sweet was also used for the variety 

 better known as Dwarf Early as well as for others of its 

 group, but since these varieties are no longer popular 

 there is now no conflicting use of name. 



Edible ears were produced at Geneva in 87 days, 

 about the same season as Howling Mob, 5 days later 

 than Independence and 3 days earlier than Mimms' 

 Hybrid. The variety most resembles Independence 

 with plants the same height and vigor, similar feathery 

 tassels but with anthers more consistently striped with 

 red. The husked ears are 2-3 inches longer, slightly 

 more tapering, and capped at the tip; otherwise are 

 much the same. The attractiveness of a long, regular 

 8 -rowed sweet corn is well brought out in this variety. 

 To those who have desired a delicate ear with all sug- 

 gestion of the colossal absent, this sort has been offered. 

 Because of these characters it has been confined to 

 planting in the home and market garden. 



Plant moderately tall, 6-6 ' 2 feet; stalks very slender and 

 slightly zigzag; nodes 7-8, slightly exposed, moderately prominent; 

 internodes streaked with red on exposed portions. Tillers few, much 

 shorter than central stalk. Leaves medium long and moderately 

 narrow, 30—32 x 3J£— 3J^ inches; sheath equal to and occasionally 

 shorter than internode. Tassel moderately long and slender, rather 

 feathery, 18-20 inches; terminal spike erect; lateral spikelets 

 horizontal to slightly drooping, moderately many, long and some- 

 what crowded; bracts and anthers variable in color; 60-62 days to 

 anthesis. 



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

 ears per stalk, one usually a nubbin. Shank medium long and 

 slender, 3-5 inches. Husks few, rather light, medium length and 

 moderately tight wrapped. Husked ear long and slender, 8-10 x 

 l}4— lj^ inches, nearly cylindrical and slightly tapering; base com- 

 pressed and occasionally open; tip long conical and occasionally 

 capped; rows 8, straight, usually paired, with furrows deep but very 

 narrow, not prominent. 



Kernels at milk stage white, medium size, moderately broad 

 and shallow; at dry stage small, wider than long, very thick, .88 x 

 1.0 x .45 cm. (124 seeds per oz.); decidedly short oval in shape; 

 crown rounded; surface rather sparsely and shallowly wrinkled: 

 set tightly on cob. 



Early Vermont. Refs. 77, 121, 207, 208, 450, 454, 

 513, 514. Syn. Extra Early Vermont. 

 No early sweet corn introduced during the " gay 

 nineties " survived even its baptismal season uniess 

 its sponsors were able to show its superiority to Cory. 

 Cory earliness, Cory quality, became the measuring 

 stick for varieties in this class, and like all winners, 

 it seems as though every seed company aspired to 

 be the sponsor cf that new corn which would dethrone 

 the great Cory. Naturally in this competitive rivalry 

 many varieties were introduced that had no greater 

 points of divergence than the difference in the vocabu- 

 laries of the catalog writers striving to transfer stocks 

 of seed from warehouse to grower. And so Early 

 Vermont " the market man's money maker," " the 

 pride of the home garden." " the epicure's delight," 

 was launched in 1894 by Frank Ford & Son of Ravenna, 

 Ohio, and Vaughan's Seed Store of New York. For 

 a few years Early Vermont was quite popular as 

 measured by the number of other companies which 



