Riral School Leaflet 985 



perfectly and be safe from mice until the time for the exhibition. In 

 choosing the ten ears for the exhibit, one must have in mind what consti- 

 tutes a perfect ear of corn of that type. The score card gives us a means 

 of measuring each ear of corn in order to see how perfect it is. The ten 

 ears most nearly approaching the perfect score are the ones that should 

 be exhibited. Below is a sample score card that can be used in choosing 

 ten ears of dent, flint, or pop corn, and that should be used by the judge 

 who scores the exhibits and awards the prizes: 



SCORE CARD FOR EARS OF CORN 



i. Maturity and soundness 35 



2. Uniformity 20 



3. Weight of ear 15 



4. Shape of ear ic 



5. Shape of kernels 10 



6. Tip of ear 5 



7. Butt, or shank 5 



Perfect score 100 



1. Maturity means ripeness. It can be told usually by the appear- 

 ance of the ear of corn and by the way the ear feels. A mature ear 

 will have the kernels firm on the cob. It will not feel moist in the hand. 

 The cob will not be limber nor the kernels shriveled or shrunken so that 

 the ear will bend very readily under pressure. Only ripe, undamaged 

 ears of corn should be exhibited. 



2. Not all the ears of one variety will be exactly alike, but there should 

 be uniformity in color of the kernels, color of the cob, and shape and general 

 appearance of the ears. If mixed with some other variety of corn the 

 ears will lack this trueness to type. If the variety of corn used has not 

 been well bred, it may be hard to find ten ears that are nearly alike. 



3. The weight of an ear of corn can be judged by holding it in the hand 

 and observing its size. One would not expect an ear of a small variety of 

 corn to weigh as much as an ear of a larger variety, but in order to be a 

 good ear it should be heavy for its size. This usually means a large per- 

 centage of grain to cob. 



4. The shape of the ear will depend much on the variety of corn grown. 

 The length of the ear should be well proportioned for that variety. 

 Moderately long ears, well filled, are more desirable than short, thick 

 ears of the same variety. An ear that tapers very strongly toward the 

 tip is usually deficient in the shape of its kernels and in its weight. 



5. Different types of corn have differently shaped kernels. The: best 

 dent corn usually has a somewhat wedge-shaped kernel, but not a pointed 

 one. Flint corn has broader kernels than those of dent corn. Pop corn 



