Sio 



Rural School Leaflet 



Corn Day. — This year Com Day will be observed Friday, December 6, 

 The time to begin to prepare for Corn Day is in September. The 



children should make the selection of corn before it is 

 cut. The teacher could make this experience a most 

 valuable one if he would go out with the boys and 

 girls when they select the corn. Ten ears each of as 

 many varieties as possible should be selected. Place 

 on the blackboard before the children make their 

 selection of corn the following information, prepared 

 by Professor Gilbert: 



What constitutes a good ear of corn 



1. Shape oj ears. — A perfect ear of com should be 

 full and strong in the middle part, indicating a 

 strong constitution. It should retain this size to 

 near the tip and the butt, thus forming as nearly 

 as possible a cylindrical ear. 



2. Butts oj ears. — The rows of kernels should 

 extend well down over the butts of the ears, thus giving an ear of better 

 appearance and containing a higher yield of grain. The shank, or the 

 part of the stalk which is attached to the ear, should not be too large 

 and coarse. Swelled, open, or badly compressed butts, as well as those 

 having kernels of irregular size, are objectionable. 



3. Tips of ears. — Tips of the ears should be well filled out, indicating 

 a type of corn that will mature easily. The rows of kernels should extend 

 in a regular line to the extreme tip of the ear. 



4. Shape of kernels. — The shape of the kernels is very important. They 

 should broaden gradually from tip to crown, with edges straight, so that 

 they will touch throughout the full length, and should be wedge-shaped 

 without coming to a point. Kernels of this shape will fit close together 

 and thus insure the highest possible yield of grain that can be grown on 

 the cob. If the kernels have this wedge shape, there will be found no 

 wide spaces between the rows. Such spaces are always objectionable. 



5. Proportion between corn and cob. — There should be a large proportion 

 of grain as compared with the am.ount of cob. This will be the case with 

 ears having deep kernels. A large ear does not necessarily indicate a 

 heavy yield of grain, and it is objectionable in that the cob, being large, 

 contains a considerable amount of moisture which, drying out slowly, 

 injures the grain for seed purposes. 



6. Color of grain and cob. — Good com should be free from admixture. 

 White corn should have white cobs and yellow com should have 

 red cobs. 



