58 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



Price and Reed's Perfection, 1913; Willet's Perfection, 

 1914; and Perfection Early of Moore and Simon, 1907. 

 These various stocks are not all available today and 

 those grown in our trials were not consistent in type 

 from year to year. The various catalog descriptions 

 show variation from the 8-row type illustrated by 

 Scott in 1913 to the 12 -row type known as Price and 

 Reed's Early Perfection. 



Although the name Perfection would indicate a 

 " supremely excellent " strain or stock or at least one 

 " without defect or lack," we have been disappointed in 

 our trials of varieties so named. It is said that " the 

 best judges never pronounce a work of art perfect, 

 because they always see ideal possibilities not yet 

 attained." Perhaps, therefore, the name " Perfection " 

 used for a variety, whether it be sweet corn, tomato, 

 or what not, constitutes in itself a handicap, for all 

 conditions under which a plant grows tend to make 

 perfection exceedingly difficult cf attainment. 



Perry's Hybrid. Refs. 22, 48, 61, 73, 74, 89, 91, 93, 94, 

 121, 126, 207, 208, 238, 241, 244, 274, 278, 312, 

 329, 350, 368, 397, 403, 405, 411, 457, 503, 508, 

 510, 511, 512, 518, 533, 535, 537, 538. Syns. 

 Large Cob Sugar, Perry, Perry's Hybrid Early. 

 This was an old variety originating in the East 

 and rather favorably known from 1888 to the fore- 

 part of the present century. There is no definite 

 information of its history, although some authorities 

 credit its origination to A. D. Perry of the Perry Seed 

 Store (now F. H. Ebeling), Syracuse, New York. The 

 occasional red or pink cob serves as a clue to the original 

 cross which must have been between a white cob and 

 a pink cob variety. The regular and well filled ears 

 are attractive and there is still a call for the variety 

 in certain sections. To fill these orders, a similar corn, 

 but with white cob, known as Mayflower No. 2, is 

 frequently used today. 



Plant medium tall, 5-6 feet; stalks moderately slender. 

 Tassels slender, lateral spikelets drooping. Ears borne 20-30 inches 

 from the ground. Husk leaves few, short and small. Husked 

 ear moderately long and medium plump, 8-10 x lj g— ljg inches, 

 partly cylindrical and slightly tapering; tip sharply conical; rows 

 8—10, often slightly irregular and separated at the base, otherwise 

 crowded around cob. Kernels at milk stage dull white to pinkish, 

 kernels rather broad and shallow; at dry stage dull yellowish white, 

 large, broader than long; broad ovate; crown distinctly rounded; 

 surface moderately wrinkled. 



Pharaoh's Dream. Refs. 238, 241, 282, 406. 



The Iowa Seed Company of Des Moines introduced 

 this variety in 1903. No records are available to indi- 

 cate the exact parentage, although it was supposed to 

 have originated " from a cross made of two well known 

 varieties and selected for a number of years until it had 

 attained its high value." 



The variety has been featured by the introducers 

 continuously, although so far as is known, it has not 

 been carried by any other leading seedsmen, at least 

 under this varietal name. Although the introducers 

 exploited the idea of Pharaoh's Dream of a stalk pos- 

 sessing seven ears, reports from experiment stations as 



early as 1906, as well as records obtained at Geneva, 

 indicate nothing unusual in respect to this character. 

 Trials at Geneva show the variety capable of pro- 

 ducing plants 7 to 8 feet tall, with a decided tendency 

 to tiller, bearing 1 to 2 ears per stalk which reach edible 

 maturity in 97 days. The husked ears are 8 to 9 inches 

 long, moderately plump, and possess 12 to 14 rows of 

 medium sized, white kernels. 



Pickaninny. Refs. 156, 298, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 

 335, 345, 348, 571. Syn. Early Pickaninny. 



In the year 1916, Thos. A. Peters of Hampton, New 

 Brunswick, sent to the Horticultural Division of the 

 Central Experimental Farm at Ottawa some seed of a 

 black sweet corn. In 1918, after 2 years' trial to deter- 

 mine its comparative earliness, it was crossed with Sweet 

 Squaw, the latter being the seed parent. The black corn 

 from New Brunswick was thought to have originated as 

 a natural cross between Black Mexican and a corn native 

 in that district. 



From the cross made by Arthur J. Logsdail in 1918 

 the best black strain was selected, named Pickaninny in 

 1919, and introduced in 1920. For several years it was 

 not an entirely pure stock but continued selection cor- 

 rected this. It was tried throughout Canada and met 

 with considerable success and was found to be the 

 earliest sweet corn ever grown at Ottawa, with the ex- 

 ception of the original black variety which came from 

 Mr. Peters. At many of the more northerly points in 

 Canada it proved to be the first sweet corn that would 

 mature its seed. 



Pickaninny produced edible ears at Geneva in 

 69 days, the earliest of all sweet corn varieties. This 

 was 1 day earlier than Aroostock Early and 6 days 

 earlier than Alpha. The plants have a greater tendency 

 to tiller than these of Black Mexican and are decidedly 

 smaller in every respect, with darker green foliage. 

 The husks are more loosely wrapped and the husked 

 ears are much shorter and somewhat more slender. 

 Approximately the same color change occurs with the 

 kernels of both varieties. This variety has much the 

 same quality as that of Black Mexican and is much 

 earlier. Its small size, however, together with the lack 

 of attractiveness in the post milk stage, has limited its 

 usage to the home garden. Those who appreciate early 

 sweet and tender corn in spite of unattractive color will 

 find Pickaninny worthy of trial. 



Plant very short, 2} »— 3 feet; stalks straight and slender; 

 nodes 5-6, covered, not prominent. Brace roots present, very 

 slender, somewhat useful, whorl not complete. Tillers many, 

 much shorter than central stalk, some of which usually terminate 

 with a nubbin. Leaves short and narrow, 15-18 x 2-2 ' _> inches; 

 sheath longer than internode. Tassel very short and slender, 9-10 

 inches; terminal spike erect; lateral spikelets nearly horizontal, few 

 present, short and simple; bracts pale green, sparsely striped with 

 pale red and ringed at the base with the same color; anthers uni- 

 formly pale yellowish green (barium to citron yellow); 54—56 days 

 to anthesis. 



Ears borne at 2nd and 3rd nodes, one and often two or three 

 ears per stalk; shank short and slender, 1-2 inches, moderately 

 tough. Husk leaves few, short and light, often extending horizon- 

 tally to the ear. Husks few, short, light, loosely wrapped and easily 

 removed. Silk scanty, short, easily removed, uniformly pale green- 



