ISSUE 84, SOUTHERN & LANDRACE CORN, Part 16: Neal's Paymaster White Dent
Neal's Paymaster White Dent
One of the finest of the improved strains of Tennessee Red Cob corn, Neal’s Paymaster retained the red cob, but instilled a prolific habit (2 or more ears per stalk), large kernels, and 14 rows. Bred by mass selection by W. H. Neal of Lebanon, Tennessee, seed came into public hands circa 1910. Its superior performance in field trials by the Tennessee Experiment Station in 1913 led to recommendations for its wide adoption in Spring of 1914. “Neal’s Paymaster is an excellent red-cob sort for fertile uplands.”
At first, County Extension agents distributed seed for the corn. Demand grew so extensive that commercial seed companies began offering seed. First, Red Star Seed of Winchester, TN, then Russell-Heckle Seed in Memphis. Here is Red Star’s characterization of the variety:
The variety’s name partook of the early 20th-century practice of promising farmers a big cash remuneration for planting the variety. (Think of all of the “Mortage Lifter,” “Bonanza,” and “ “ names of the period.)
Ears of Neal’s Paymaster averaged 6 inches in length. Stalks usually bore two ears. That said, the stalks were particularly vulnerable to anthracnose. The productivity of the variety kept in field cultivation until shortly after WWII. Nowadays it has been supplanted by Hickory King as an heirloom white dent. Yet its quality is undeniable. It remains available through Holmesseed.com.
USDA PI 221872-A