CORN 



1585 



CORN 



form the tassel; the latter, which bear the 

 pistils, constitute the silk. The silk grows on 

 a spike (the cob), which springs from the stalk 

 in the axil of a leaf. On the cob are rows of 

 seeds (the kernels'), and there is also a cover- 

 ing of specially-formed leaves (the husks). 

 The cob and its parts constitute the fruit of 

 the plant, called the ear. It is interesting to 



Nebraska 

 171 



Kansas. 

 12.9 



Figures Represent Millions of Bushels 



LEADING AMERICAN STATES 

 In corn production. The figures represent an 

 average production of five years. 



know that though the ears may have eight, 

 twelve or more rows, they always have an 

 even number, that there is one silk for each 

 kernel, and that there are, on an average, 800 

 kernels to an ear. 



Varieties. Corn is usually divided into five 

 great groups, according to the character of the 

 grain, as follows: pop corn, flint corn, dent 

 corn, flour corn and sweet corn, and there is 

 another variety known as pod corn, in which 

 each kernel is enclosed in large glumes, or 

 bulbs. There are more than 500 named vari- 

 eties of corn, some plants almost reaching a 

 height of as many feet as smaller ones have 

 inches. Certain tall Mexican varieties grow 

 to fifteen feet; while Tom Thumb pop corn 

 grows only two or three feet high. The ears 

 vary greatly in size, also, ranging from two up 

 to twelve inches in length. A plant may pro- 

 duce one ear or several, those usually grown 

 as a forage crop producing two or three small 

 ears. Corn can be grown only where there is 

 plenty of sunshine and at least three months of 

 warm weather. 



Pop corn is, as its name implies, grown for 

 "popping," which means literally turning the ker- 

 nel inside out by an explosion caused by heat. Pop 

 corn has small ears and kernels covered with a 

 hard, strong outer coat. When heat is applied 

 the moisture in the inside of the kernel generates 

 steam, which gathers force sufficient to burst the 

 kernel. Other corns are not suitable for popping ; 

 they will merely crack and parch. The pop-corn 

 industry in large cities is important. 



Flint corn has a hard, smooth outer coat, and 

 is deep, golden-yellow in color. The ear has usu- 

 100 



ally eight to twelve rows of kernels, which are 

 very sweet and nutritious. This variety ripens in 

 a shorter season than any other, and is therefore 

 grown farther north than dent corn. The plants 

 usually grow from eight to twelve feet fn height. 



United States 

 2,7 24 



Argentina 

 265 



Hungary Rumania Italy 

 176 110 110 



British India Russia Mexico 



75 75 73 



Figures Represent Millions of Bushels 



LEADING COUNTRIES 



In the production of corn. The figures repre- 

 sent an average production for five years. 



Dent corn is the 'ordinary corn of commerce. 

 This variety has an indentation on the top of the 

 kernel, caused by shrinkage of the starchy inte- 

 rior. Dent corn grows large ears, with kernels 

 considerably larger than other varieties. This 



TWO FAVORED VARIETIES 

 Flint, above ; dent, below. 



variety is grown throughout the corn belt of the 

 United States. 



Sweet corn is soft, and shrinks greatly in dry- 

 ing. Containing a larger percentage of sugar than 

 any other variety, with the starchy matter only 

 slightly developed, sweet corn is largely grown 

 for table use, being boiled on the ear. It is also 

 canned in large quantities. 



Flour corn, or soft corn, one of the oldest varie- 

 ties known, has soft, starchy kernels, and is usu- 

 ally grown in the Southern states. This variety 

 is often called mummy corn, because it has been 

 found buried in mounds of the ancient Aztecs and 

 Incas. 



Culture. Corn in the North is usually grown 

 in rows three feet apart, and in the South up 

 to four and five feet apart. The seed is planted 

 in hills three to four feet apart in all direc- 

 tions, with two or four plants per hill; another 

 method of seeding is by drilling, in which the 

 grains are dropped close together in rows. This 

 method is employed only when the crop is in- 



