CORN VARIETIES 



113 



depression, or dent, which gives the name to the dent race. 

 The grains of dent corn are usually much flattened and 

 wedge-shaped, and longer or deeper than broad. The 

 plant may be small, medium, or very large, Southern 

 varieties being almost invariably large. 



(2) In flint corn the layer of soft loose starch does not 

 come to the top of the kernel but is surrounded, over the 



FIG. 65. SHOWING, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, SECTIONS THROUGH GRAINS 

 OF DENT, FLINT, POP, SWEET, AND SOFT CORN. 



The shaded area represents the horny layer ; the dotted portion shows 

 the floury starch. 



top as well as on the sides, by a horny layer, which is also 

 made up chiefly of starch, compacted into a dense, almost 

 translucent mass. The difference between the horny and 

 the loose starch has been likened to that between ice 

 and snow. The complete arch of horny starch over the 

 top of the grain insures the ripening of the kernel without 

 uneven shrinking or denting. The grains of flint corn are 

 usually less flattened, shorter, and more rounded and 

 smooth over the top and broader than dent corn. The 

 stalks are usually small and the ears are borne near the 

 ground. The flint corns mature quickly and are best 

 adapted to regions near the northern limits of corn pro- 

 duction. In the South they are little grown and com- 

 paratively unproductive. 



