CORN 131 



CHAPTER XIII. 

 CORN. 



The Corn Crop. — Com is king and alfalfa is queen. These 

 two crops go together very well. On dairy farms, where 

 these two crops are raised for the stock, we find very little 

 outside feed is purchased. They cut down the feed bills 

 enormously. Too few farmers in the dairy sections are 

 trying alfalfa; and too many farmers are not doing their 

 best even in the corn fields. 



Winter is the time to make plans for the corn crop for 

 the following spring. If the seed is not already on hand it 

 should be secured then and tested for its germinating powers. 

 Winter is a good time to plan the fields and decide how much 

 com ground will be used for production of green forage, 

 how much for ensilage, if any, and how much for winter 

 fodder and ears. 



Types of Corn. — The four main types of corn raised in 

 America are pop corn, sweet corn, flint corn, and dent com. 

 The two last are both spoken of as field corn. 



Flint Corn has a hard kernel which is short and rounded, 

 with no dent in the top. There are only a few rows of kernels 

 on the cob, eight rows being quite common. Flint com 

 matures quickly and is often grown where the warm season 

 is short. There are several colors and a number of varieties 

 (Fig. 67, Nos. 4, 10, 12, 14). 



Dent Corn has a longer kernel with a dent in the crown 

 or top. The ears are large and the yield per acre is greater 

 than with any other type. The many varieties or breeds of 

 dent com vary in color, length of season for ripening, shape 

 of kernel, size, shape and length of ear, character of stalks, 

 and in other ways. White and yellow are the commonest 



