CHAPTER XIII 

 MAIZE OR INDIAN CORN (Zea Mays) 



Indian corn is an annual grass, making its growth during 

 the warmer part of the year. Its most important use is as 

 a food for Uve-stock. The crop may be grown to maturity 

 and the grain fed either whole or ground and the stalk and 

 leaves utilized as a cured forage or stover. The plants 

 may be utihzed before fully mature as silage or for soiHng 

 purposes. 



The grain of corn is also rather widely used as a human 

 food. Cornbread is the most important product of corn 

 for himian consumption, while certain breakfast foods and 

 corn starch are secondary products. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE CORN PLANT 



191. The root-system. ^ The corn plant produces 

 three classes of roots. These are temporary roots, primary 

 roots, and adventitious roots. The root-system is not 

 characterized by a tap-root such as is foimd in cotton. 



Temporary roots. — These roots serve to maintain the 

 young plant during the first few days of its existence. 

 When a kernel of corn is planted, the first evidenfee of 

 germination is the swelling or enlargement of the kernel 

 due to the absorption of water. Soon a small root emerges 

 from the tip end of the seed and a little later 2 to 6 addi- 

 tional roots sprout from a point midway between the first 

 root and the germ chit. At'about the same time the " stem 

 sprout" or plumule appears from the upper end of the 



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