48 



CORN 



(3) Seasonal influences. Often in a growing season of plenty 

 rainfall, the early corn will remain green antl continue growing late 

 in the summer before blossoming. A sudden drouth at the time of 

 rapid growth forces the date of blossoming uprjn the corn. 



(4) Soil conditions. A soil which is lacking in plant food and 

 not retentive of moisture, dwarfs the plants and they prematurely put 

 out flowers. 



MALE OR STAMINATE FLOWERS.— Tassels. The male or 

 staminate flowers are found in the tassel, arranged in the form of a 

 panicle, the branches of which 

 are shorter nearer the base. 

 There are two single flowers in 

 each spikelet. Each single 

 flower has its own set of inner 

 bracts, and the two together 

 are enclosed by thicker, darker 

 green, outer bracts. Each flow- 

 er has three stamens, mounted 

 at first upon short, stock fila- 

 ments, but which as the pollen 

 matures, lengthen and push the 

 pollen sacks or anthers out to 

 be caught in the breezes. The 

 anthers are two-celled and in- 

 stead of opening at the tip end, 

 split just above and along one 

 side. This allows the pollen 

 grain to be wafted to greater 

 distances. At the base of each 

 set of these filaments, there is 

 present a greenish, glandular, 

 turgid body, called the lodiculc. 

 which swells as maturity ad- 

 vances, thus spreading open the 

 bracts to allow the stamens to 

 be pushed out. Each pollen 

 gram is very small, having in 

 its center a nucleus, while the 

 remainder of the cell is light, 

 and serves as a buoy in its 



course through the air. It has been estimated that each anther or 

 pollen sac produces about 2,700 pollen grains. A single tassel con- 



Section of branch of t.-issel showing pollen 

 sacs suspended on the elongated fila- 

 ments. Note the openings of the eells 

 of the pnlliMi sues (anthers). 



