The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-12-05
INDIAN CORN.
Some of It's Peculiarities Discussed-Inter-
mixture of Varieties.


mixture of Varieties.
While all are specifically identical,
the varieties OF our Indian corn or maize
are very great, and most of them quite
persistent or constant when not exposed
to extraneous influences. The change
produced by changed locality is certain
but quite gradual. So have been pro-
duccd the early and the late varieties.
The varieties which produce the best
results in the Southern States require
six months to mature, while in the eX-
IRENE North two months will suffice.
There is well-recognized law of ma
ture that the shorter the season the
more rapidly will vegetation grow. l
have witnessed the growth of vegeta
ton in the Arctic regions, which was
traly astonishing. The shining of the
sun pefpetuaily upon it had no doubt
great influence, but then his rays strike
the earth very obliGuely, and with much
less intensity than in the lower latitude!
While the greatest number of the va
rieties of corn may be due to the local
ity and culture other causes contribute
largely to the result. What we call n.y.
bridizing, if the varieties were distinct
species, contributes largely to the pro-
duction of new varieties. 1t was for
merly taught, and quite generally &C
credited, that it was the taSsel or male
element of the corn that gave character
to the kernel, while the cob was con-
slant to the silk or variety planted. so
that it was perfectly practicable to place
on any cob any variety of kernal, so as
the varieties came into bloom at the
same time, by cutting off all of the tss-
sells of one of the varieties. Some years
ago since saw a barrel of ears of pop
corn in the market, of which about one
half were a bright red and the balance
a yellowish white. Not foul kernel
was observed on a single ear. From
this barrel purchased some seed, Sc
lecting an equal number of the finest
ears of each. l planted the red corn
entirely isolated from any other corn;
the white 1 planted on one side of a
field of common white corn. On har-
veSting the red corn fully one-third OF
the ears were white and the balance
red like the seed planted-not a
speckled ear was found in the lot. In
the corn from the white seed fully one
third was red like the red seed planted,
and the balance white. Not red kerr
mel was found on white ear, nor a
white kernel of any sort was found on a
red ear. | do not know that both
varieties of white corn were in bloom
at the same time, as | was absent when
they were in bloom. Ii is very common
10 meet with ears of corn with several
varieties of grain upon them, where. for
instance, blue or yellow ears are more
likely to receive the foreign grains than
other colors, and red ears are less likely
to be found with fugitive grains of
other colors, and red grains are less
likely to be found on other colors. Adj
hitting that the stray grains found on
ears of other colors are placed there in
the manner before described, it is GER
tain that this result will not alwaysf fol-
low when the conditions are favorable.
or when the intermixture of varieties
does actually take place. My expert
ment with the white and the red corn |
proves that the germ of the interIniH-
ture was not in the cuticle which con-
tains the visible pigment, but within |
the germ of the grain itself Altogether |
this intermixture of varieties of Indian |
corn is an interesting subject, and
worthy of further and careful expert
RerieU.
Women doctors are called '.lady
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