Show var variety 1 ety of corn with T hard atiat T d husks specimen found in experimental plots with ear tightly enclosed prepared bythe united states department of 0 agriculture A variety of corn with husks that fit tightly over the pars ears like flke finger fanger stalls would be e boon bionto to corn growers every e cry where because of the protection afforded against corn far ear worms black weevils we evils and corn ear smut A sin single ld specimen of such a husk protected ear car vas vaa recently reported by 0 IL 1 kyle of the united states department part ment of agriculture lie ile found it among the corn plants in ills hh experimental plots where he is attempting to develop a corn that will have oars cars tightly la in husks for protection against car smut ordinarily the husk covering of an ear of corn Is made up of a number pf af overlapping leaves each of which anly p partially rt lally encircles the ear the unusual specimen found by mr kyle had a single leat leaf completely encircling the ear husk protection while it Is not likely that such a perfect husk will ever be a fixed characteristic act in any corn mr kyle says this specimen indicates the possibilities bIll of producing a high degree of husk protection through crossing self fertilized lines selected for husk busk protection tec tion husk protection Is dependent upon the lenith length thickness tightness and texture of the husks some progress has hag already been made in this direction mr kyle has crossed seven selfred sel fed lines which lie had bad selected for their factors in husk protection three crosses having the best average husk protection produced only 10 11 and 43 exposed or unprotected ears per 1000 respectively free from smut of the ears grown from all of the crosses wore were in the husk protected class and none were smutted on the etli other r hand or 72 per cent of ane 3 SISO ears in me exposed class were smutted the crosses with the best husk protection those crossed with line G produced approximately one as many smutted ears as the crosses with the poorest huste husk protection the 0 crosses other dentists in the department G N colllns collins and J H kempton Kemp toa have shown that corn earworm ear worm damage Is reduced when the tips of the car are covered with the husks and kyle has shown in experiments that husks that tightly the ears protect them from rice or black weevils we evils |