FARM CROPS. 89 



wise. The dents are the principal corns grown in the 

 United States for food purposes, manufacture of al- 

 cohol and glucose, and various valuable by-products, 

 and are the corns of most importance grown in for- 

 eign corn-growing countries. 



2. Zea Amylacea. The Soft Corns. This species- 

 group is distinguished by the absence of the hard 

 flinty corneous endosperm, and through the uniform 

 shrinkage of the soft starchy endosperm there is little 

 or no indentation of the kernels. The soft corns are 

 grown principally in Central and South America and 

 other countries of southern latitude. 



3. Zea Indurota. The Flint Corns. In the flint 

 corns the hard flinty corneous endosperm of the ker- 

 nels enclose the soft starchy endosperm. There is 

 comparatively little soft starchy endosperm, so that 

 the kernels are smooth, hard and have a flinty appear- 

 ance as a whole, hence the name flint corn. There are 

 generally from eight to twelve rows of kernels on the 

 cob, the kernels being shallow, and the plants are usu- 

 ally early in maturing. The flint corns have been 

 grown in northern regions, as New England, Canada 

 and similar regions having short growing seasons, but 

 are being rapidly displaced in these regions by the 

 heavier yielding and richer dent corns. 



4. Zea Saccharata. The Sweet Corns. The ker- 

 nels of the sweet corns are translucent, and very wrin- 

 kled and shriveled in appearance when dry. It is 

 principally grown for roasting ears for table use in the 

 northern sections of the United States, and for canning 

 purposes. The sweet corns are very high in sugar 

 content, and the texture of the kernels in the milk stage 

 is very tender. The sweet corns are probably of 

 American origin, having been discovered by the set- 

 tlers in the colonies, in cultivation by the Indians in 

 what is now Massachusetts and other regions. 



5. Zea Everata. The Pop Corns. The pop corn 

 kernels have a large proportion of the corneous endo- 

 sperm, and when dried and heated under proper con- 



