DROUGHT RESISTING CHARACTERS 47 



The isosceles triangle with 3 in. base and 6 in. altitude has an area 

 of 9 square inches. 105 sq. in. plus 9 sq. in. equals 114 sq. in., one 

 surface. 114 sq. in. multiplied by 2 equals 228 sq. in., the area of both 

 sides of the leaf. With 12 leaves on the stem, there would be a total 

 of 2,736 square inches, or 19 square feet of leaf surface for that one 

 stalk. 



DROUGHT RESISTING CHARACTERS. While necessary for 

 the transpiration of so much moisture, the larger surface area of the 

 leaves of a corn stalk, must, of course, be equipped with means of 

 preventing undue loss. Nature is not extravagant. This is especially 

 true in the case of corn. As the water level slowly settles, when the 

 summer season advances, the roots of the corn plant begin going 

 down, following the strata of moisture. When the spring season has 

 been very wet and the summer turns dry suddenly, causing the 

 surface soil to bake and evaporation to go on very rapidly, the water 

 table often sinks so quickly that the plant, which had before fed near 

 the surface, cannot change its root system in time to prevent its being 

 stunted from want of moisture. 



When the root system fails in its attempt to keep in contact with 

 the water table, the foliage exhibits certain adaptations for reducing 

 evaporation. The leaves of a very young corn plant are always 

 tubular, partly because of their being wrapped about each other and 

 partly because if their surface were open moisture would be lost by 

 transpiration faster than it could be supplied by the small root system. 

 The leaves are built up of many cells of delicate nature, hence they 

 depend upon moisture for the maintenance of rigidity. As excessive 

 evaporation from the surface continues and the supply from below 

 slackens, the leaves fold in halves on the mid rib. The edges also curl 

 in on each other. This "curling" of corn in July is a bad omen to 

 corn growers in the drier districts. Through July and August, dur- 

 ing the formation of the ear, is the critical period in the life of a corn 

 plant. A lack of moisture at this time means curtailment of yield. 



THE FLOWER. The corn plant is monecious; that is, ttie stam- 

 inate and pistillate flowers are borne on the same plant, but at differ- 

 ent places. They will be spoken of here as male and female flowers, 

 respectively, as they are commonly known as such, but from a strict 

 botanical point of view the terms male and female are incorrect when 

 so applied. The time of blossoming depends upon : 



(i) The time of planting. Early corn usually comes out in bloom 

 and ripens before the late planted corn. 



(2) Varieties, whether early or late. 



