ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the roles played in hybrid corn research by the University of Illinois experiment station and Funk Brothers Seed Company during the 1920s and 1930s. The division was between pure and applied science; while the public sector was responsible for theoretical developments in com breeding, the private sector made advances in production-related areas. The university's research and extension efforts were most clearly shaped by their commitment to the needs and interests of Illinois farmers. While the university taught traditional methods of corn improvement, Funk Brothers urged farmers to switch to hybrids. The agricultural problems introduced by hybrid corn were in large part a function of the dramatically different farming requirements of hybrids and open pollinates, and these problems were exacerbated by the different research and extension agendas of the university and Funk Brothers. The differences, however, between Funk Brothers and the university more readily account for their divergent concerns in corn research and development.
