Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-06-17
cRoss-BREEDING CORN.
Becomes Possible to Base Subsequent Seed Selection If Plant
 Is Measured.

In the row system of corn breeding, in which each field row is planted with seed from a separate ear, the performance record of the plants from each individual seed ear can be ob- served and accurately measured, and 1t thus becomes possible to base our subsequent seed selection upon the per formance record of the progeny from individual mother ears.
 In this system of planting we not only have the usual possibility of corn being self-pollinated, but we have an unusual possibility of considerable corn being -pollinated In self pollination the pollen from a given tassel falls upon the silk of the same plant. In -pollfnation the pollen from a given plant falls upon the silk of another plant in the same row. both of which grew from seed from the same mother ear In cross -pollination the pollen from the tassel of one plant falls upon the silk of another plant in a different field row. which grew from seed from different mother ear.
 Becaues of the well-known princi- pie. established by the investigation of Darwin and others, that injurious effects are produced from the self-pol- lination of plants which are naturally cross-pollinated. many investigators have conducted miscellaneous detas- selling experiments in corn growing during the past 20 years or more. The plan commonly followed has been to detassel alternate rows in an ordi- mary corn field and to compare the yields of the tasseled and detasseled rows. The combined data from all such experiments point to no marked effect produced by detasseling.
 In the investigations which we have carried on at the Illinois station dur ing the past four years. says Prof. Cyril c. Hopkins. of the University of Illinois. in Farmers Review. we have systematically detasseled the even numbered rows in breeding plots and have then continually planted the even numbered rows with seeds select ed from the best detasseled rows and have planted the odd-numbered rows with seeds selected from the highest yielding tasseled rows. For three years this system has been practiced on two large breeding plots. contain ing A field rows in each plot. the two rows being conducted entirely in- dependent of each other. The system in each of these plots is really double system. one set of 22 rows be- ing conducted without detasseling. in all respects like an independent breed ing plot of 22 rows. the seeds being saved each year from the ten highest yielding rows. But alternating with these tasseled rows. were detasseled rows of corn which. however could ex- ert no influence upon the breeding of the tasseled rows.
 On the other hand. the 22 detasseled rows are necessarily cross-bred each year. although it should be borne in mind that the pollen for these detas- seled rows was always furnished by the 22 tasseled rows. which are them selves becoming more or less inbred If benefits are produced from this im- perfect system of cross-brsedlng. which we were compelled to adopt in order to obtain comparative data from alternating rows in the same field. t seems probable 'ha. even greater ben eft will result from 2 practical com merciel system which we have now adopted In which the seed for both sire and dam is ercss-hred.