30 
BULLETIN 1489, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
The success of the now classical experiments on selection to modify 
the chemical composition of the corn kernel conducted at the Illinois 
Agricultural Experiment Station had an important influence in 
promoting acceptance of the principle of ear-to-row corn breeding. 
Beginning in 1896 with Burr White corn, selections were made by 
the ear-to-row method for high-oil and low-oil and for high-protein 
and low-protein content. The effects of this selection on the four 
strains isolated are shown in Table 2. 
In spite of the evident success of these experiments in modifying 
the chemical composition of the corn kernel and the earlier indica- 
tions of larger yields obtained by similar methods, later experiments 
covering a longer period have failed to show that ear-to-row selec- 
tion was successful. That is, there has been no evidence of a cumu- 
lative increase in yield under continuous ear-to-row selection. True, 
most of the experiments have continued to show progeny seed from 
high-yielding ear rows to be more productive than progeny seed 
from low-yielding ear rows. The differences have not been large, 
however, and in some experiments became less rather than more as 
ear-to-row selection was continued. Data from experiments at the 
Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station are shown in Table 3, 
as an example of the results of ear-to-row selection by different 
systems. These show no significant increase in yield from any of the 
more elaborate methods of breeding over those obtained by simple 
mass selection as represented by the original Hogue Yellow Dent, 
and Nebraska White Prize varieties. 
Table 3. — Yields produced by mass-selected seed of tivo varieties of corn and 
by strains obtained from these varieties by ear-to-row selection in Nebraska 
[Adapted from Kiesselbach (4 
8, p. 106, 109)] 
Acre yields of shelled corn (bushels) 
Designation of variety and 
strain 
1911 
1912 
1913 
1914 
1915 
1916 
1917 
1920 
1921 
Average 
1911- 
1917 
1913- 
1921 
1915- 
1921 
Original Hogue Yellow 
Dent 
42.6 
44.0 
38.2 
42.5 
41.6 
51.6 
52.9 
45.6 
54.6 
55.3 
9.8 
7.7 
7.3 
12.1 
9.1 
10.0 
10.4 
12.3 
62.8 
65.3 
55.0 
63.5 
64.7 
52.3 
50.0 
49.0 
79.5 
76.8 
75.3 
80.0 
84.1 
75.5 
72.2 
71.6 
73.7 
71.7 
69.8 
58.9 
74.4 
69.4 
73.8 
73.0 
72.5 
74.1 
57.4 
56.6 
53.6 
57.9 
57.3 
48.2 
46.8 
47.7 
47.9 
53.6 
53.3 
47.7 
55.0 
54.5 
Continuous ear-to-row 
selection since 1903 — 
Increased from single 
strain selected in 1906. 
Increased from com- 
posite of four strains 
selected in 1906 




Intercrossing of four 
strains selected in 
1906 
Original Nebraska White 
52.4 
55.7 
47.0 
59.1 
68.6 
68.5 
64.6 
69.4 
54.4 
53.8 
52.1 
63.7 
Continuous ear-to-row 
selection 
Composite of best eight 


63.2 
60.7 
64.8 
As an example of results more favorable to ear-to-row breeding, 
data from the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station are shown in 
Table 4. In these experiments the remnant seed of the parent ears 
of the four or five highest yielding ear rows of one season was used 
