DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 



83 



Golden Rod. Refs. 30, 261, 525, 562. 



Introduced in 1911 at a time when the yellow- 

 grained varieties were slowly but steadily gaining in 

 favor. Golden Rod was decidedly of high quality and a 

 meritable acquisition to the Bantam family. The cross 

 between the parent varieties Golden Bantam and 

 Stowell's Evergreen was made in 1906 at the Baldwin, 

 Long Island, trial grounds of Peter Henderson & Co. of 

 New York. This variety has the same parentage as 

 Bantam Evergreen, but as shall be noted when the two 

 varieties are compared, the recombination of characters 

 resulted in two radically different types. For many 

 years Golden Rod, Golden Cream, Bantam Evergreen, 

 and Golden Bantam made up the " Big Four " of yellow 

 varieties. 



Eighty-two days were required for this variety to 

 reach edible maturity at Geneva. This was practically 

 the same season as Golden Giant, 4 days later than 

 Golden Bantam, and 8 days earlier than Bantam 

 Evergreen. The plants of this variety most resemble 

 those of Carpenter's Giant Golden Sweet, whereas the 

 husked ears are much like those of Sunnybrook, being 

 slightly shorter and usually averaging two more rows. 

 The variety has been advanced as a mid-season variety 

 of the large Bantam type. It is used primarily as a 

 market garden and home garden sort where the demand 

 is for a larger ear. 



Plant tall, 6 ] _>-7 feet; stalks moderately heavy and straight; 

 nodes 9-10, exposed, prominent. Brace roots present and com- 

 plete on one node. Tillers many, slightly shorter than central stalk. 

 Leaves long and moderately broad, 32-34 x 3 1 r-4 inches; sheath 

 distinctly shorter than internode. Tassel long and very slender, 

 22-24 inches; terminal spike slightly drooping; lateral spikelets 

 drooping and somewhat spreading, long, many present, crowded; 

 bracts pale green, very sparsely striped with pale red; anthers buff 

 color (chamois to deep colonial buff); 60-62 days to anthesis. 



Ears borne at 4th and 5th nodes, very often two ears per stalk. 

 Shank quite variable in length, rather tough. Husks moderately 

 many, long and rather loosely wrapped. Husked ear medium long 

 and moderately plump, 7-8 x l 5 s-l ;? 4 inches, moderately tapering, 

 base enlarged; tip conical and usually exposed; rows 10-14, occa- 

 sionally paired and irregular at the base, usually crowded around 

 the cob. 



Kernels at milk stage light orange yellow, moderately wide 

 and shallow; at dry stage bright orange yellow, moderately large, 

 usually broader than long, 1.04 x 1.17 x .39 cm. 1,104 seeds per oz.); 

 short, very broad ovate in shape; crown distinctly rounded; sur- 

 face moderately fine and abundantly wrinkled although somewhat 

 variable in this respect; set moderately tight on cob. 



Golden Sunrise. Ref. 317. 



In the collection of newer varieties Golden Sunrise 

 is outstanding in the large-eared group of varieties. 

 H. S. Mills, a former member of the staff of Cornell 

 College of Agriculture, is responsible for its origin. 

 Mr. Mills supervised the corn breeding work at the 

 Long Island Vegetable Research Farm, Riverhead, 

 New York, and in 1925 produced this promising sort by 

 field crossing Golden Bantam and Long Island Beauty. 

 Selection for type was made in 1926 and continued 

 until 1928. In 1929, the stock seed was moved by 

 permission from Cornell University to Bristol, Pennsyl- 

 vania, at which time Mr. Mills was employed by the 

 D. Landreth Seed Co. Selections continued and in 



1931, when the type was well fixed, the D. Landreth 

 Seed Company first offered it as Golden Sunrise. 



At Geneva edible ears were produced in 81 days, 

 3 days later than Golden Bantam and 9 days earlier 

 than Bantam Evergreen. The plants of this variety 

 are the most vigorous of all yellow varieties of major 

 importance, being taller than Bantam Evergreen or 

 Whipple's Yellow and as stout as Bantam Evergreen, 

 with foliage more abundant and somewhat lighter 

 green. The variety is of too recent origin to be ade- 

 quately judged. Limited trials, however, have indicated 

 its possibilities as a canning and market garden variety 

 of more than ordinary quality. 



Plant tall, 7} 2-8 feet; stalks straight and moderately heavy; 

 nodes 10-12, usually somewhat exposed, moderately prominent. 

 Brace roots present and complete on one node, moderately heavy 

 and useful. Tillers usually absent, occasionally a very few but 

 always shorter than the central stalk. Leaves long and broad, 

 32-34 x 4-4 ' 2 inches; sheath equal to and often slightly shorter than 

 the internode. Tassel long and heavy, 20—22 inches; terminal 

 spike erect; lateral spikelets drooping, many present, moderately 

 long, and rather crowded; bracts light green, moderately striped 

 with dark red; anthers buff color (deep colonial buff); 64-65 days 

 to anthesis. 



Ears borne at the 4th and 5th nodes, one ear per stalk with 

 an additional nubbin present. Shank variable, 2-5 inches, slender. 

 Husk leaves many, short and light; husks many and thick, rather 

 tightly wrapped, medium long. Husked ear moderately long and 

 plump, 8-10 x l?4-2 inches, moderately to decidedly tapering; 

 base enlarged and usually compressed; tip conical; rows 12-14, 

 usually straight but often somewhat irregular at the base. 



Kernels at milk stage bright to orange yellow, medium in 

 size and moderately deep; at dry stage dull yellow, medium width 

 and thickness, moderately long, 1.1 x .85 x .37 cm. (148 seeds per 

 oz.); triangular in shape; crown slightly rounded; surface heavily 

 and rather deeply wrinkled; set loosely on cob. 



Golden Sweet. Refs. 17, 61, 73, 87, 89, 91, 93, 121, 

 214, 217, 220, 223, 241, 298, 308, 312, 348, 350, 

 397, 406, 412, 429, 503, 507, 508, 512, 513, 536, 

 537. Syns. Early Yellow New England, Golden, 

 Golden Early Yellow, Golden Sugar, Golden 

 Yellow, Yellow. 

 The date when this name became associated with 

 the sub-variety mentioned by Salisbury in 1848 as " a 

 new variety made by crossing the Sweet with the Early 

 Canada " is as unknown as the originator and intro- 

 ducer. The idea of its origin was recognized by Burr, 

 1863, who said, " apparently a hybrid between Common 

 Yellow or Canada Flint and Darling's Early." 



From the records of J. J. H. Gregory & Son of 

 Marblehead, Massachusetts, there is evidence that a 

 Golden Sweet was sent out in 1865. This was a very 

 early bright golden yellow sort. The catalog of 1885 

 gives this short but apt description: " Golden Sweet: 

 The only cross ever made between the sweet and field 

 varieties; flavor, peculiarly rich." A few years after 

 the original introduction the seed stock was lost, but in 

 1875 a new source was found. The demand for a 

 golden sweet was very limited and about 1887 the name 

 had disappeared from their catalog. 



In 1893 a new name appears in Gregory's list, 

 " Golden Nugget." " We find this to be the variety 

 catalogued years ago, under the name of Golden Sweet. 



