The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1909-12-30
The Independent Farmer
DEVOTED INTERESTS
MOST IMPORTANT INDUSTRY THE NORTHWEST

boundary line that they could have
thrown the ears across into Canada
as they husked them.
Botanists agree that corn Is ma
tive Of the tropics and the American
Indian carried it by the law OF he
redity until it grows and ripens across
into Canada.
Arguing for selection and breeding
is 1t seems to me like arguing that
:Abraham's descendants have a racial
resemblance. That the German, Scan
dinavian, English, Italian and Rus
sian people have a characteristic
type. It seems to be selfevident.
Peas with nine seds to the pod.
peas six feet high and others ~ inch.
es high at notwithstanding lettuce,
crinkly leaved lettuce and strap leaf
lettuce show results from the law OF
heredity APPLIED to plants which are
familiar to US all.
The white face of the Hereford,
the red. white and roam of the Short.
horn, the polled head of the Angus,
and the mealy muzzle, and deer like
lines Of the Jersey and the black
and white OF the Hoistein, all res
pond to the law Of heredity until
no one will question the existence;
Of the law. This law is well illus
trated in dogs. The bird dog, fox
hound, and blood hound probably
have equally sensitive noses. l pre-
sumo that they will scent meat an.
equal distance when they are hungry.
There isn't ten year old boy in the
state Of Texas but would know which
one Of these dogs to take to. go
chicken hunting. A fox hound will
cross Q thousand bird tracks and pay:
no attention to them Dut the moment
he scents fox tracks his muscles
tighten and he shows the strongest
evidence Of recognition and interest.
l am told that the blood hound when
given the scent of a man will follow
his trat(ls across "a street where
many persons have crossed after the
individual has passed by. The blood
hound, however, takes no notice Of
fox tracks nor Of birds. ss " .sg,a.
T. The average human being has great
difficulty in describing odors. If 80
evasive thing as the sense Of smell
can be subdiv1ded and inherited reg
sularly can anyone doubt that the
grosser thing which represents high
er yields in corn can be transferred
generation after generation by tho
same great law? ~
The pitless plum, the hornless COW
and the spinless cactus are mute ex-
amples Of marked changes In form
which breeding will accomplish.
The general law then is commonly
accepted. The principles have been
known for 1000 years
IOka corn hills producing the equiv
alent Of only one small ear per hill
indicate that this great law has not !
been applied to the corn plant in
the svitai places. IL y.
We haze produced red corn, white
corn, yellow corn, blue corn, speckled
,corn-eight rowed ears, ten rowed
ears, twelve rowed ears, fourteen row.
ed ears, and 80 on-we have produced
tall corn---according to Sturtevant "a
feet high IN the tropics--and In the
north limit 81 the corn belt q variety
whdse ears @touch the ground; *ais6
p0d corn. sweet corn and pop corn;
We have iaodlAed oil Of the easily
discefned features of the corn plart
IN III TACT the American Indian did: the
most Of tkat for us. Dr. Hopkins 0A
Illinois has gone q step further and
changed the proportion Of starch, oil
and protein In corn, thus making
different plant of it in It's compost.
ton. This must mean that corn plant
is very flexible from the standpoint
Of breeding. ~,
e On this point Professor Holden of
Iowa, says: "C0rn requires much
greater care to prevent deterioration
than most other crops since 1t Is 81
comparatively new crop. as we know
it-to0ay, and its characteristics have
not been 50 thoroughly fixed through
the centuries of breeding, as have
those Of many grains, but for ia.
same reason it is also much more
susceptible to Improvement by proper
treatment" This is. believe. the
situation. Corn Is capable Of great
development IL given help By careful
breeding and will rapidly deteriorate
II not well cared for.
= large number Of experimente-s
have grown corn III ear TO row trials
each row receiving the same treat-3
ment as every other row. The dihee-
ence in appearance is very marked
and will not escape the notice Of a
casual observer. Barren stalks one
OF the greatest causes of poor yields -
and succoring are very marked in
some rows and almost absent In 9TH
ers and both are soon eliminated by
selection and breeding: Some Of the
Tf R.A