48 FIELD CROPS 



elusive evidence of its nativity is indicated by its connection 

 with mythological and religious ceremonies of the Indians 

 and the discovery of ears of corn buried with mummies in 

 Peru and Mexico. 



49. Botanical Characters. Botanically, corn is a grass; 

 that is, it belongs to the same family of plants as timothy, 

 wheat, and blue grass. The roots are fibrous and spread 

 several feet in the ground in all directions, the extent vary- 

 ing with the type of soil and the weather conditions. After 

 the plant is partly grown, brace roots grow out from one or 

 two, and in some cases several, of the lower joints. The 

 function of these roots is simply to brace the plant, to aid it 

 in withstanding the strain caused by the wind blowing it 

 about. 



The stem, like that of all of the common grasses, is made 

 up of nodes and internodes, varying greatly in length in 

 different varieties and in different seasons. The internodes 

 are much longer near the top than near the bottom of the 

 stalk. The stem, which is flattened or grooved on one side, 

 has a hard, fibrous coat or outer wall and a soft, spongy 

 pith, differing in this respect from the hollow stems of most 

 grasses. The height of the plant varies from 2 to 20 or 

 more feet; the usual height is from 5 to 10 feet. 



The leaves grow out from the nodes. As in other grasses, 

 they clasp the stem in the form of a sheath which fits very 

 closely. Where the leaf spreads out from the stalk, the 

 sheath clasps about it so tightly that under ordinary circum- 

 stances water is prevented from getting in between the 

 sheath and the stem. The blades of the leaves vary in 

 breadth from 2 to 4 inches and in length from 2 to 4 feet. 

 The leaves have the useful habit of rolling up from the edges 

 when there is a shortage of moisture, thus greatly reducing 

 the transpiration from them. 



