422 THE farmers' handbook. 



Sweet Corn. 



Though the culture of sweet coin is chiefly confined at present to small 

 patches in a few market gardens and to a few stalks in home vegetable 

 plots, its use as a green vegetable is slowly gaining ground in New 

 South Wales, and seed of many varieties can now be obtained from local 

 seedsmen. Apart from the small local market for this product, it is possible 

 that it will be profitable to export to America during our summer and 

 autumn, which is their " off" season. The local canning of the product 

 might also develop into a profitable industry, as we at present import 

 the whole of our canned sweet corn from the United States and Canada. 



Sweet corn differs markedly from field maize not only in its better flavour — 

 due to a higher sugar content — but also in the appearance of the seed and 

 the growth of the plant. Hickory King — a well-known white field variety — 

 is often put on the market as sweet corn ; but there is a great difference in 

 flavour between it and good sweet corn. The seed of the latter is trans- 

 lucent, of waxy appearance, and wrinkled over its whole surface. Sweet 

 corn does not grow very tall, and, besides suckering profusely often bears 

 two or more ears per stalk, which seldom attain the size of the hardy dent 

 or field maize. 



It is even more imperative than for the field crop tbat sweet corn should 

 be grown on rich soil well supplied with organic matter and humus to retain 

 the moisture in the soil during growth. The addition of stable manure is the 

 best way of increasing the humus content, and this needs to be supplemented 

 by 1 to 2 cwt. of superphosphate to supply the phosphoric acid in which 

 stable manure is deficient. A top-dressing of | to f cwt. of nitrate of soda 

 about six weeks after planting will hasten the growth, especially where 

 nitrogen is deficient in the soil. 



Sweet corn should not be planted too early, as the seed rots more quickly in 

 cold soil than field maize, and the young plants are also more sensitive to the 

 cold. In order to have sweet corn during the whole of the season, successive 

 plantings should be made about every three weeks. At least two (better 

 three) rows should be sown at one time, as with single rows the cobs are not 

 properly filled with grain, the result of poor fertilisation at flowering time. 

 It is best to sow the corn in " hills " 3 feet or 3| feet apart each way ; and 

 better results will always be obtained by sowing about six grains per hill and 

 thinning out to two or three plants per hill when they have attained a height 

 of 6 or 8 inches. In this way the strongest-looking plants can be left in 

 each hill and the weakest removed. In the Sydney district, planting can 

 commence towards the end of September and continue until February. 



The cultivator should be kept going between the rows to conserve the 

 moisture in the soil, but this cultivation should never be deeper than 

 3 inches, especially when the plants are well up, otherwise a lot of valuable 

 feeding roots will be destroyed. 



The usual practice is to remove the suckers, but this should not be done 

 too early. It is better left until after flowering has finished. 



The correct stage to haiwest is only recognised after some practice. If 

 pulled too young and before being fully developed the quality is poor, and 

 the elapse of two or three days after the proper stage renders the corn 

 too hard and flavourless. The proper stage is when the grains are in 



