SWEET CORN 221 



an ear on which crossed grains are visible there are other crossed 

 grains which show no external sign of mixture. 



" Harvesting. The value of seed corn, especially sweet corn, is 

 largely dependent on the way it is gathered and cured. The aver- 

 age American farmer has drifted into such careless methods of 

 handling corn that it is hard for him to recognize and use the care 

 necessary for the production of good seed. The crop should be 

 harvested as soon as the grain has fully passed into the dough 

 state. The stalks should be cut and put into small shocks, but 

 seed sweet corn can very rarely be well cured in shocks, no matter 

 how small or how carefully they may be set up. 



" As soon after cutting as the stalks are well wilted, which will 

 usually be in from three to six days, the corn should be husked and 

 put into the drying cribs. It is important, especially with the short- 

 stalked early sorts, that this be done promptly. If allowed to stand 

 long in the shock the stalks will settle so that the ears are likely to 

 come in contact with the soil and the grain be injured in appearance 

 and viability. 



" Some growers, particularly those of Connecticut and Ohio, do 

 not put the stalks into shocks, but go through and "top" or re- 

 move the part above the ear, and sometimes slip down the husk so 

 as to fully expose the grain to the sun and wind, when it will dry 

 out very rapidly and perfectly and can be gathered from the stand- 

 ing stalk. A disadvantage of this method is that if such " stripped " 

 corn is exposed to even a slight frost before it is quite dry its 

 viability as well as its vitality is lessened, often entirely destroyed. 



" In the Western states there is usually so little rain and such 

 high dry winds are prevalent during the autumn months that har- 

 vesting can often be safely delayed until the corn is nearly cured 

 in the field on the still standing stalks, and then the corn can be 

 gathered directly into large cribs to complete the drying ; but even 

 here early husking and cribbing are desirable. 



" The best way to handle sweet corn in the field is to husk into 

 baskets or crates, as there is liability to serious injury by dirt, 

 showers, or breaking of the skin if the ears are thrown on the 

 ground or into a wagon, and if this occurs while some of the 

 grains are still in the milk they will become discolored and so 

 injure the appearance of the lot of seed as to render it unsalable. 



