192 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



FIELD AND SILAGE CORN. 



The growth of corn in California as a grain or silage crop is 

 out of the view of this treatise. An interesting publication on the 

 subject can be had from the Experiment Station at Berkeley. Dur- 

 ing the last decade silos have multiplied in various parts of the 

 state and a much greater acreage of field corn has been grown than 

 formerly. It is chiefly grown in rows and somewhat less carefully 

 than corn for grain, because the plant is not required to meet the 

 strenuous requirements of grain for ripening. Still the better the 

 growing the better the crop. A hardy, vigorous, tall growth is im- 

 portant for silo filling. Varieties chiefly grown are the Learning, 

 which well meets these points and is the most popular of the yellow 

 varieties in California, and Sanford White Flint, and Hickory King 

 hold about the same place among white sorts. In the Imperial val- 

 ley Mexican June does better than varieties of eastern origin. The 

 Red Cob Ensilage is a strong growing, short jointed and leafy va- 

 riety especially selected for silo purposes. 



Very little suckering of corn is done in California. The grower 

 may either get more corn by suckering or that the corn he does get 

 will be better developed by preventing diversion of sap from the 

 main stalks, it is becoming more clear that enough is not gained 

 in either way to pay the cost of suckering. 



Corn After Grain Hay. W. D. Trewhitt, of Kings, averages 

 eighty bushels of corn after taking off a crop of wheat or barley 

 hay from the same land each year. The corn is usually planted the 

 latter part of June after the land has been irrigated and plowed 

 good and deep. As soon as it gets above the ground cultivating is 

 done as long as possible, usually three times. One irrigation is 

 made after planting, when the corn is just beginning to tassel out. 



POP CORN. 



Pop corn is grown in California to some extent but much is 

 brought from the East. Most of California popcorn is grown in 

 Los Angeles county. The demand for California popcorn is strong 

 because it is raised in a temperate, dry climate, where irrigation is 

 taken off when the silks begin to turn, drying the kernels and cobs 

 so the corn is ready to pop four weeks after picking. Eastern 

 corn must cure three times as long. Robert Haengge of Inglewood 

 raises about 40 acres every year; and eastern field corn does not 

 grow more thriftily. It stools out often eight or ten stalks from 

 one kernel and each stalk averages about two salable ears. 



TAMALE COVERS. 



A by-product of the corn field is the tamale wrapper for which 

 a variety of corn with a thin paper-like husk is required. Two or 

 three hundred pounds may be had to the acre, and some estimate 

 about one ton of husks to six tons of corn. On harvesting for both 



