23. CORN. 



Illustrative Material: Mature corn plant with ear, showing 

 brace roots, tassel, and leaves. Sample ears of varieties grown in 

 the locality. Seed corn testers. 



Importance of Corn. About four billion bushels of corn 

 were produced in the world during 1915. The United States 

 produced about three-fourths or very nearly three billion 

 bushels. Seven states, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, 

 Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri produce over one-half of 

 the total corn crop of the United States. They make up 

 what is called the corn belt. (Figure 56.) In this region 

 corn is the most profitable crop, for it gives the largest 

 yield of the best food for all classes of animals. 



Kinds of Corn. Through careful selection and breeding, 

 corn has been greatly improved. We now have varieties 

 of corn that mature in 90 days; others require 150 days. 

 The color of the kernels may be red, white, yellow, blue, 

 black, or any mixture of these. Some corn grows only two 

 feet high; while in the South there is some grown that 

 reaches a height of 30 feet. 



There are four important classes, or types, of corn. 

 These are the dent, flint, sweet, and pop corn. 



Dent corn is the most important type. About nine- 

 tenths of all corn grown is of this class. It gets its name 

 from the hollow, or dent, which forms in the end of the 

 kernel when it ripens. Dent corn has a large ear and gives 

 the largest yield. The kernels are long, and the cob is 



