THE VEGETABLE GABDEN 295 



SWEET COKN 



Varieties. The kinds of sweet corn may be classed as 

 early, medium, and late. The ears may be eaten in from 

 sixty to ninety days, depending upon the variety. The 

 size of the ear also depends upon the kind. The earliest 

 sweet corn has a low stalk with small ears ; it is best 

 adapted to small gardens, as it does not shade other 

 crops so much as the large varieties. 



Soil. Sweet corn will grow on many different kinds 

 of soils, but it is at its best when planted in a deep, rich 

 loam well fertilized with barnyard manure. The dress- 

 ing may be put on either in the fall or in the spring; 

 it must be well scattered and spaded or plowed under. 

 A mixed fertilizer applied to the soil before planting, at 

 the rate of from a thousand to fifteen hundred pounds per 

 acre, will increase the yield. It may be scattered broad- 

 cast or put in the hill while planting. 



Time of planting. The seeds will rot in the ground 

 when it is cold and wet, but it is wise to plant a few 

 hills of one of the earliest varieties soon after the frost 

 is out of the ground. If another planting is made in two 

 weeks, there will be no serious loss if the first planting is 

 unsuccessful. Soak the seeds for several hours and plant 

 on a bright day. All of the different kinds may be 

 planted at about apple-blossom time. By making a 

 careful selection of varieties a succession may be pro- 

 vided for the summer. About the first of July plant 

 one of the medium-early varieties for fall use. 



