FLINT CORN 



49 



54. Flint Com. Flint corn ranks next in importance 

 to the dent type. The crown of the kernel as well as the 

 sides is covered with a hard, horny part which does not 

 shrink, or at least shrinks evenly, at maturity. This gives 

 each kernel a hard, smooth, flinty appearance, to which the 

 name of the type is due. Ears of 

 flint corn are usually longer in pro- 

 portion to their circumference than 

 ears of dent corn. There are fewer 

 rows of kernels on the ears, the fur- 

 rows between the rows are usually 

 wider, and the kernels are compara^ 

 tively shallow. It is very prolific in 

 the production of suckers or stools, 

 making it quite valuable as a fodder 

 crop, but it does not yield as much 

 grain as most of the varieties of the 

 dent type. The ears have a larger 

 proportion of cob to corn than is 

 found in the dent varieties; the shank 

 of the ears is usually large, making 

 flint corn much harder to husk than 

 dent corn. Fhnt corn is usually 

 earlier in maturing than most dent 

 varieties, hence it is specially adapted 

 to northern latitudes, but it has little 

 agricultural value where the more 

 desirable dent varieties thrive. It is 

 used to some extent as human food in the form of hominy, 

 and is regarded as preferable for cornmeal. 



55. Sweet Com. Sweet corn has practically no hard, 

 or horny, endosperm. Consequently, the whole kernel usu- 

 ally shrinks at maturity, presenting a shriveled appearance. 

 As indicated by its name, its chief characteristic is that it 

 contains a higher percentage of sugar than the other types. 



Figure 13. — Ear of flint 

 corn. 



