Prairie Farmer, Vol. 56: No. 12, March 22, 1884: A Weekly Journal for the Farm, Orchard and FiresideVarious
Science
Prairie Farmer, Vol. 56: No. 12, March 22, 1884: A Weekly Journal for the Farm, Orchard and Fireside
Various
Agriculture -- United States -- Periodicals; Farm life -- Periodicals; United States -- Rural conditions -- Periodicals
The appearance of various types upon an ear allow of some curious
generalizations. 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 concerned, but its structure,
however, influences. Sweet corn, however, appears upon the three types of
pop-corn indiscriminately, 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 appearance 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 red ears have a constancy 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 deductions consists in the guide they afford
toward the improvement of the varieties of corn that we grow. For
instance: by planting in adjoining hills, or, better still, the mixed seed
of two varieties of corn, one of which is distinguished for its length of
ear and smallness of cob, and the other for the large size of its 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 a series of selections, the attaining of a new variety, in
which the large kernel and length of cob would be persistent. The same
remarks hold true with the dent corns. But in the matter of selections 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
kernel free from the influence of plants of another type, and securing the
crop through self-fertilization. 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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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