crosses begin to undergo the strictest sort of selection and 
purification through the process of inbreeding. The third 
year most of the original crosses are discarded (usually 
more than ninety per cent), and the very best ones are 
planted that winter in the greenhouse, gaining a year. By 
the fourth year a few experimental hybrids are made by 
hand from these new inbreds, and the seed carefully 
checked against existing hybrids and varieties. 
About then things really g€>t exciting. Here you are with 
fifty seeds of two inbred lines that you've found to be the 
swellest white sweet corn anybody ever ate. Just fifty 
seeds, and you'd like to have thousands of pounds. Well, 
the first thing is to plant most of them in the greenhouse 
again, and then, just as soon as they're ripe (two or three 
thousand seeds, now) along about the first week in May, 
rush them to one of our western growing stations. 
Out there among the mountains things do a fine job of 
growing. The new inbreds will be planted up in some 
little sheltered, irrigated valley a long, long way from any 
other kind of corn and possible contamination. No chance 
for a crop failure there. Lots of sunshine, and you turn 
the water on and off yourself. 
That fifth year the inbred lines are increased to a sufficient 
guantity for production on a commercial scale, and at the 
same time enough hybrid seed is made to send trials all 
over the United States. 
And finally, in the sixth year, when we have complete 
reports from canners and gardeners alike, and every¬ 
body is enthusiastic, we have enough seed so that by 
spreading it thin, it covers many gardens in many states. 
After that, it's up to you. 
