SWEET CORN 137 



for steady vigorous development. Cultivate every 

 ten days or so. 



As growth proceeds, pull more of the weakest 

 shoots until, when about a foot high, four nearly 

 equally distant sturdy plants remain. When cul- 

 tivating, watch for the suckers that steal the har- 

 vest. With a quick jerk, pull them before they 

 are fairly started. Be sure these branches do 

 come from the lowest node, not from the axil of 

 the first leaf. Sometimes the first true leaf is so 

 close to the ground that the young ear can scarcely 

 be distinguished from a sucker until the silk ap- 

 pears. Make certain which is which; and then, 

 so long as these useless shoots appear, keep them 

 pulled. 



When picking corn be sure to mark the very 

 biggest, fullest, smoothest ears, one on a stalk, for 

 seed; and mark more than double the amount 

 needed. When gathering for the table, do not 

 slit the husk open to see whether the ear is 

 ready, as that spoils the ear. Gather early in 

 the morning while the dew lies fresh and cool 

 upon the husks. The sugar-content is lost rapidly 

 after being pulled and stripped. Therefore, leave 

 them in a cool cellar until nearly dinner time. 

 Strip the husks then and brush away the silk; 

 and put the ears into the boiling pot. When grown 

 properly and gathered at the right time, it does 

 not matter how fresh sweet corn is cooked. The 



