Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-04-17
FOR THE FARMER.
Experiments with Indian Corn.


tilization of Indian corn:
On May Is, 135 kinds of corn were
planted in the garden, with the in
tention of promoting the cross fer
tilization of the varieties in order to
study the effects. The seed used was
some of it selected on account of it's
purity; other seed was from named
varieties; still other seed from varie-
ties purposely hybridized, or presum-
ed from their appeara nee or location
on the ear to be hybridized; and seed
which possessed peculiarities in APP
pearance. The types presented were
the three kinds Of pop corn, the flint
pop, the pearl pop, and the rice pop a;
the flint is eight-rowed and twelve
rOwed varieties, and soft Or Tuscaror-
as; the sweets in two or more types of
ear, the one corresponding to the flint,
another to the dent corn ear; and the
dents also IN two or more types, and
eight-rowed with broad kernel, and
another, the many rowed, with deep
kernel. We also had a pod or husk
corn.
Through a study Of the copy from
these various seeds, we are enabled to
make some general conclusions, which
probably are sufficient to generalize
from, but which certainly apply to the
case in his hand.
The seed eof the preceding year
gives uniformity of ear; that is, a
dent corn seed may produce an eight
rOwed dent, Or an eighteen-roWed
dent, but each ear will be perfect of
its kind, and will be free from kernels
OF other tpye than its own The flint
corn kernel may produce several
varieties OF flint corn ear, or dent corn
ear, but there will be no variety in
the kernel upon the ear; dent corn
seed may furnish a sweet Ecorn ear,
but not mixed upon the cob. A pop
corn kernel may produce a sweet corn
tpye, a sweet corn ear of popcorn
type, or a popcorn ear of the various
types, without admixture of kernels
upon the ears.
On the other hand, by bridization of
the current year produces changes in
the kernels of various colors, and OF
various types, the tendency, however,
being for the shape of the kernel
to be governed by the type of the
maize ear upon which it is found.
The appearance of various types
upon an ear allow of some curious
congratulations. Thus, the rice pop
kernel form does not appear upon ears
of other character, nor does the pearl
pop kernel form appear upon the rice
pop ear. The flint pop does not seem
to appear upon either the rice or the
pearl pop type, so far as form is con-
cerned, but its structure, however, in
Huences. Sweet corn, however. ap-
pears upon the three types of popcorn
lndlscrminately y. But, on the other
hand, the pop-corns do not appear
upon the flint corn ears. While flint
corn appears abundantly on sweet
corn ears, on the other hand, sweet
corn does not appear upon the flint
corns. Dent corn kernels will appear
upon the sweet corn whose type of
ear is that of the dent ear, but not
upon sweet corn whose type is that
Of the flint ear. The dent corn, again.
does not appear upon the flint ear,
but in some isolated instances the
flint corn kernel may appear upon the
dent ear.
The appearances of kernels Of one
variety upon ears of another variety,
for each Of the types, is of frequent
and constant occurrence, except in
the case of red ears. The Fed ears
have c@nstancy of color which is
truly remarkable; where sweet corn
appears upon red pop and red dent
ears the sweet corn partakes of the red
color.
The practical value of these deduc
tons consists in the guide they afford
towards the improvement of the va
rieties of corn that we grow. For in
stance: by planting in adjoining hills
or, better still, the mixed seed of two
varieties of corn, one of which is dis
tlnguished by its length of ear and
smallness Of cob, and the other for
the large size of it's kernel we should
anticipate, in many instances, the
transfer of the large kernel to the
small ear and of the small kernel to
the large ear. By selecting from the
crop those ears which have length and
the large kernel, we should anticipate
by series of selections, the attaining
of new variety in which the large
hOA1IOA eehO ICuS I'LL vi COD WOuIu De
persistent. The same remarks hold
true with the dent corns.
But in the matter of selection the
true principle would seem to be to
plant but one kernel of the desired
type from an ear of the desired type.
and to keep the plant from this kerr
mel free from the influence of plants of
another type, and securing the crop
through Standardization. After the
first year Of this procedure, by the
selection of two or more kernels of
the same type from different plants,
cross fertilization should be used the
crop being gradually purified by
! selection.
While the maize plant, as a rule, is
not self fertilized, that is, as a general
thing the pollen from one plant fer
tilizes the silk of another, yet in very
many cases the pollen and the sil K
upon the same plant is synchronus,
and rehabilitation becomes possible.