100 



Effective Farming 



fifths of the total corn crop is grown in the seven so-called corn- 

 belt states : Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, In- 

 diana, and Ohio. Many of the best yields of corn, however, 

 are secured in Eastern and Southern States and it is interesting 

 to note that a number of record yields have been made by mem- 

 bers of Boys' Corn Clubs. Corn has a wide 

 range of growth and varieties are found for 

 each state. 



47. Types of corn. Six types, or classes, of 

 corn are grown. These are dent, flint, pop, 

 sweet, pod, and soft corn. The last two, how- 

 ever, are of little importance commercially. 



Dent corn. The type of corn known as 

 dent is the field corn commonly grown in the 

 United States. In a kernel of corn, there 

 are two kinds of endosperm, hard, or horny, 

 and soft, or white. In dent corn the hard 

 endosperm is arranged along the sides, and 

 the soft endosperm surrounds the germ and 

 extends to the crown, or upper portion, of the 

 kernel. The soft endosperm contains a larger 

 proportion of water, which causes it to shrink 

 more rapidly and when the kernel matures a 

 dent is formed in the crown. In Fig. 30 the 

 dented character of the kernels can be seen. 

 FIG. so. Dent The ears of dent corn average from eight to 

 nine inches in length, from six and one-half to 

 seven inches in circumference, and have from sixteen to twenty 

 rows of kernels on an ear. The plants do not sucker freely 

 and usually a stalk produces one ear, except in cases of the so- 

 called prolific varieties, in which two or more ears are commonly 

 produced on a stalk. These varieties are adapted principally to 

 the cotton-producing states. White and yellow are the predomi- 

 nating colors of dent corn, although red, red and white mottled, 

 blue, and purple ears are found. The growing season of dent 



