DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 



81 



At Geneva this variety came into bearing in 61 days, 

 and was usually the earliest yellow variety, although 

 Spanish Gold in some seasons equalled this time or was 

 a day or so earlier. This is 1 1 days earlier than Golden 

 Sunshine and 17 days earlier than Golden Bantam. 

 The variety can only be considered as a home garden or 

 early market sort, because the small size of the ear and 

 stover render it uneconomical to produce. The plants 

 of Golden Gem are much the shortest of any yellow 

 variety, much more slender and shorter than those of 

 Golden Bantam. The ears are often as long as those 

 of Golden Bantam but are more slender and the plants 

 are not as productive. Dry kernels are distinctly pale 

 yellow as contrasted with the darker dull yellow of 

 Spanish Gold or Golden Giant. 



Plant short, 3 1 j-4 feet; stalks very slender and straight; nodes 

 6-7, covered, not prominent. Brace roots and tillers usually absent. 

 Leaves very short and narrow, 20-22 x 2 3 .t-3 inches, distinctly 

 colored at the margin; sheath longer than internode. Tassel very 

 short and slender, 12-14 inches; terminal spike erect; lateral spike- 

 lets nearly erect, few, short, simple, and moderately crowded; 

 bracts green, moderately striped with red; anthers buff color (deep 

 colonial buff to chamois! ; 46^t8 days to anthesis. 



Ears borne at 2nd and 3rd nodes, usually one ear per stalk 

 with an additional nubbin usually present. Shank very short and 

 slender, 2-3 inches. Husks few, moderately thick, short, rather 

 tightly wrapped but easily removed. Husked ear moderately short 

 and slender, 6-7 x l^s-l'g inches, nearly cylindrical, slightly taper- 

 ing; tip conical and usually exposed; rows 8-12, straight, regular and 

 crowded around the cob. 



Kernels at milk stage moderately light yellow, quite wide and 

 moderately shallow; at dry stage very pale yellow, medium size, 

 moderately broad and short, .91 x 1.1 x .38 cm. (140 seeds per oz.); 

 short broad oval in shape; crown distinctly rounded; surface quite 

 finely and abundantly wrinkled; set tightly on cob. 



Golden Giant, De Lue's. Refs. 56, 72, 100, 124, 141, 

 335, 344, 373, 466, 478, 488, 499, 506, 521, 525, 

 562. Syns. Golden Giant, Golden Prize, Golden 

 Wedding. 

 Golden Giant has been very commonly used as a 

 class name, particularly during the last 10 years when 

 other varieties have been introduced very similar to 

 it in size of ear and in season. Of all the varieties 

 resulting from crosses of Golden Bantam and a white 

 variety, this has proved to be one of the best so far 

 established. The white parent was Howling Mob and 

 the cross was made about 1906 by Dr. Frederick S. De 

 Lue of Needham, Massachusetts. After 10 years selec- 

 tion it was exhibited in 1916 before the Vegetable Com- 

 mittee of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society who 

 for the first time in the history of the Society awarded 

 to a variety of sweet corn its much-sought-for silver 

 medal. The award was made for the best new vegetable 

 introduced in 1916; and certainly the wide use of the 

 variety today shows that the committee were justified 

 in their decision. Joseph Breck 6s Co. introduced the 

 variety with a full page display in their catalog of 1917. 

 Eighty-three days were required for this variety to 

 reach edible maturity at Geneva. This was 5 days later 

 than Golden Bantam and 7 days earlier than Bantam 

 Evergreen and Sunnybrook. Plants are about equal 

 in height to Golden Bantam, less inclined to tiller, and 



show red on sheaths more abundantly. The husked 

 ears are thicker and larger than 10- to 14-rowed Bantam 

 with kernels larger and more coarse. In the dry stage, 

 the kernels are set more tightly on the cob than are 

 those of Golden Bantam and are decidedly less wrinkled. 

 Golden Giant is used chiefly as a market garden and 

 truck gardening variety and by some commercial 

 canneries. 



Plant medium tall, 5-5'^ feet; stalks moderately slender, 

 straight; nodes 9-10, usually covered, not prominent; internodes 

 streaked with red on exposed portions. Brace roots present on 

 one node, slender, occasionally useful, whorl not always complete. 

 Tillers moderately few present. Leaves moderately short and 

 moderately narrow, 25-26 x 3-3 ' j inches, sheath equal to internode 

 and occasionally longer, very often prominently streaked with red. 

 Tassel medium long and slender, 16-18 inches, terminal spike erect; 

 lateral spikelets both horizontal and slightly drooping, many 

 present, crowded, compound; bracts green, rather heavily striped 

 with red; anthers bronze red (vinaceous russet) and purplish red 

 (van dyke red); 60-63 days to anthesis. 



Ears borne at 4th and 5th nodes, one and occasionally two 

 ears per stalk. Shank quite variable, 3-4 inches, moderately 

 heavy but brittle. Husks many, short, rather heavy, rather 

 difficult to remove. Silk abundant, moderately long, easily removed 

 from cob and quite uniformly red in color. Husked ear medium 

 long and plump, 7-8 x \%— 2 inches; slightly tapering, base rounded, 

 slightly enlarged and compressed; tip abruptly conical, and often 

 partly exposed; rows 12-16, usually regular, straight, occasionally 

 irregular at the base. 



Kernels at milk stage yellow, medium size and rather shallow. 

 At dry stage amber yellow, medium size, short and thick, 1.0 x 1.0 x 

 .41 cm. (108 seeds per oz.); nearly square in shape; crown slightly 

 rounded; surface sparsely and very shallowly wrinkled; set tightly 

 on cob. 



Golden Honey. Refs. 224, 523. 



Golden Honey is of the past for the name no longer 

 appears in present-day catalogs. There would seem to 

 be no better name that could be used to describe the 

 combination of color and of quality that can be found 

 upon eating the sweet yellow ears of good corn. The 

 name was first used in 1906 by the Templin Co. of 

 Calla, Ohio, and was given to a variety which from 

 pictures and descriptions was only a reappearance of 

 Golden Sweet. In 1906, Templin said, " Has been 

 known in this section of Ohio among a few families for 

 about 35 years." J. Reynolds Lawrence, Eden Trial 

 Grounds, North Middleboro, Massachusetts, who enjoyed 

 quite a reputation as an experimenter, wrote in 1906 as 

 follows, " I cannot say too much for Golden Honey. 

 It is a sweet corn and no mistake, and not only sweet 

 but of most excellent flavor." The name was not carried 

 by Templin after 1919. 



Gregory offered a Golden Honey from 1911 to 1928. 

 This was apparently a 12 -rowed sort and, although we 

 have never seen it growing in trial, early descriptions 

 would place it as a close companion to Vick's Golden 

 Nugget. 



Golden Leader. Ref. 321. 



Minnesota has the reputation for growing good 

 sweet corn. There is evidence of this in the large 

 acreage grown by market gardeners and by canners 

 in that state. The varieties used are quite varied and 

 among them are several not grown elsewhere. A 



