1911 
The rural new-yorker 
A TALK ON CORN BREEDING. 
il. P. DStoopi'illc, Pa .—I would like 
your opinion in regard to the causes of 
a marked prevalence of barren cornstalks 
in our corn in the last two years. I first 
grew this variety in 1904, resembling “White 
Gourd,” or “Double A. Bristol,” and it grad¬ 
ually improved in quantity and quality per 
acre until 1908, when I estimated crop at 
60 bushels per acre, it has been my aim, 
through seed plot selection and partly 
through field selection, to improve this 
variety. In 1908, probably not more than 
five per cent, of barren stalks prevailed, in 
1909, perhaps 15 per cent., and in loio, 
very likely 20 per cent. The two last years 
have been very dry during tasseling and 
ear production, aud did not reach more than 
35 or 40 bushels per acre, grown on rather 
high rolling ground, such as the Hope Farm 
man speaks of in his disappointment in too 
frequent cultivation. Notwithstanding the 
crop of 1910 being poor (aud our seed plot 
"nearly a complete failure), I found some 
very finely developed Individual stalks and 
ears throughout the field. Would it be ad¬ 
visable to plant from these, grown among 
this large percentage of barren stalks, and 
by so doing, should I lose what has been 
gained during preceding years? 
There are many factors caus¬ 
ing barrenness in corn, plants, such as 
lack of development from poverty of 
soil, too close planting, the attacks of 
insects, particularly the destruction of 
the young silks before pollination by 
the larvae of the boll-worm moth, par¬ 
tial self-sterility of the variety, and last 
but most likely in this instance, the 
stunting effect of drought, especially at 
blooming time. Hot, dry winds at this 
season have a notoriously evil influence 
on the tender, unfertilized silks, young 
anthers and even on the pollen grains 
themselves. Indeed, the desiccating ef¬ 
fects of hot, dry air on the silks and 
tassels at this most critical period of 
crop development is the greatest ob¬ 
stacle to profitable maize culture in 
arid regions, even when abundant irri¬ 
gation to maintain soil moisture is 
available. In this instance the droughty 
weather that prevailed throughout prac¬ 
tically the whole growing season would 
appear quite sufficient explanation of 
the unsatisfactory yields, though the 
possibility of lessened vitality from too 
close breeding in the seed plots should 
be borne in mind. In seed plot cultures 
it is usual to de-tassel all weak or ap¬ 
parently barren stalks before their pol¬ 
len is shed, and thus the progeny is con¬ 
fined to a reduced number of indi¬ 
viduals, including those most precocious 
in ear development. This narrow se¬ 
lection, without doubt, makes for in¬ 
creasing productiveness under favorable 
conditions, but if too diligently fol¬ 
lowed occasionally leads to partial self- 
sterility in the resulting strain. The 
maize plant largely depends on cross¬ 
pollination for permanent vigor, and if 
too many of the seed kernels result 
from self or close-pollination, as may 
be the case in seed-plot selection, there 
may be progressive self-sterility. Con¬ 
sidering all the circumstances of the 
above case, however, we should have 
little fear in using the well-developed 
ears found in the field crop for seed 
next year. W hile some of the kernels 
may have been pollinated from stalks 
producing no ears, it may well chance 
that these plants were merely checked 
in development by lack of moisture. 
There is little fear of losing, in a nor¬ 
mal growing year, all or even much that 
has been gained by past close selec¬ 
tion, but it would be a wise precaution 
to also plant as a check some seeds of 
the same variety grown elsewhere, if 
they can be procured. This might 
prove a useful comparison. w. v. f. 
LARGE AND SMALL POTATO SEED. 
I wish to say a few words in refer¬ 
ence to the closing sentence of the 
item on page 1136 regarding an English 
contest in which gardeners compete in j 
an effort to obtain the largest possible ' 
yield of potatoes from a single pound 
of seed. The item closes with the state¬ 
ment : “These Englishmen conclude 
that these results show that big 
seed pieces are not necessary.” 
I have for years been advocating the 
use of large seed pieces and practicing 
the same to the extent of planting whole 
large tubers. Yet I willingly admit the 
conclusion the Englishmen arrived at is 
a right one. But at the same time I 
believe such experiments as these that 
led to the conclusion quoted are prac¬ 
tically valueless, and the conclusion re¬ 
sulting, however correct, is in its gen¬ 
eral application, extremely misleading. 
Large seed pieces are not necessary to 
large yields. But it should be remem¬ 
bered that small seed pieces are not 
contributing factors to large yields, 
while large seed pieces may be and 
usually are sueh. The Englishmen ob¬ 
tained very large yields from very small 
seed pieces, but it was not because of 
but in spite of the small seed pieces. 
We are told that in another contest, 
with slightly larger seed pieces, lower 
yields were obtained. We are not told, 
however, that these results were ob¬ 
tained side by side on the same ground 
or even by the same men, and com¬ 
mon sense assures us they were not. 
The great majority of experiments in 
this country, conducted by trained men 
at agricultural experiment stations, have 
shown that the larger the seed piece the 
larger the yield per acre, other things 
being equal. The question is one of 
economy. At what point will the cost 
of heavier seeding equal the value of 
increase in yield? That is the danger 
line we should not pass, and its place is 
fixed by several factors, such as price 
of seed and probable value of crop, 
fertility of soil, etc. We read much of 
late about raising calves without milk. 
It can certainly be done. But for ordi¬ 
nary, can art improve upon nature, as 
to economy and effectiveness? It is 
about the same with this potato ques¬ 
tion. There are soils and conditions 
where the use of finely cut seed is ad¬ 
visable, but for ordinary, a larger seed 
piece supplying nature’s own prepared 
food for the young, growing potato 
sprout, will prove better. 
The potato sprout very quickly sends i 
out rootlets into the soil, and when 
this is very fertile find well adapted to 
the crop the sprout will little miss the 
cutting off of its natural food supply 
by the division of the parent tuber into 
many small pieces: But on less fa¬ 
vorable soil this robbing may so stunt i 
the early growth as to preclude the 
possiblity of a maximum yield. 1 have 
been told of experiments wherein the 
planting of whole large tubers gave less 
marketable yield side by side with rows 
planted with cut seed, but on inquiry 
found the whole large seed had been 
planted the same distance apart in the 
row as the cut seed, which was planted 
closely. Of course the experiment re¬ 
sulted misleadingly. The result should 
have been expected. The larger the 
seed pieces the farther apart in the row 
should they be planted. On my own 
farm I am confident, from rather close 
observation for many years and from 
a carefully conducted comparative ex¬ 
periment, that extended through a 
period of ll years, that I get better 
results by planting whole large tubers 
in hills three feet apart each way, cul¬ 
tivating both ways and selecting seed 
at digging time from best hills. Dif¬ 
ferently located and with different con¬ 
ditions I might possibly find it advisable 
to change my practice as regards seed¬ 
ing. I should not want to drop the 
selection of seed under any conditions; 
but that is another story. 
H. ERNEST HOPKINS. 
Crawford Co., Pa. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
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83 
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1707-09-11 Filbert St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
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44 
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-ADDRESS- 
EDWARD F. DIBBLE, Seedgrower, Box B, Honeoye Falls, N. Y. 
