
SEE 

PHOTOS 
AT THE Funk Research 
arid Staff Develops 
HYBRID CORN 
EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE 

The parentage of every single plant in your field of 
hybrid corn is as carefully selected for outstanding per- 
formance as are the dams and sires of purebred Jive- 
stock. While the mechanics of modern corn breeding 
are complicated, what the corn breeder actually does 
is not hard to understand. 
Breeders Start With Best Native Strains 
Several years ago the Funk Hybrid Corn Research 
Staff established a special research program in the 
Southern Corn Belt. After corn breeding stations were 
set up in representative southern corn-growing areas, 
it was necessary to study all the common open polli- 
nated strains of corn used by southern farmers. The 
most outstanding open pollinated strains were singled 
out for use in the development of special inbreds from 
which our southern hybrids are developed. 
Precious Inbreds Contribute to Hybrid 
It is by the magic of inbreeding that poor qualities 
are eliminated and the desirable characteristics are 
held or “fixed”’ so that they may be assured in the 
final hybrid. Each inbred imparts to the final G-Hybrid 
one or more of the remarkable qualities found in the 
native strain of corn from which it was developed. 
This explains how so many superior qualities can be 
put into one modern Funk’s G-Hybrid. 
Exacting Hand Pollination Comes First 
In the beginning, Funk Corn Breeding work is done 
by hand, the corn breeder covering each tassel before 
pollen appears. Every ear shoot is also covered before 
the silks appear—so that there is absolute control 
over parentage of the new seed which is formed. 
Finally, Large Scale Corn Breeding 
Then, after inbred seed stocks are built up to suffi- 
cient volume, it is possible to conduct these important 
Funk’s G-Hybrid corn breeding operations on the 
larger field scale. At that time the pollen plants (which 
are to furnish pollen) are planted in one or more rows, 
and the ear parent plants, from which seed will be 
harvested, in rows alongside. Photos at left illustrate 
3 interesting steps in hybrid corn breeding. 
ORDER YOUR SEED CORN FOR 1945 FROM 
FUNK BROS. SEED CO. 
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