SWEET CORN 
A. E. Wiixryson 
Extension Instructor, Department of Vegetable Gardening, Cornell University 
Ithaca, N. Y. 
Sweet corn is a native of America, but has been introduced into 
other countries. It is one of the most important garden crops in 
many parts of the United States, being grown largely both for 
immediate consumption and as a canning crop. It delights in 
warm weather, although it is more successfully grown in the 
northern parts of the United States than in the southern. 
SOILS 
Sweet corn seems to be cosmopolitan as to its soil requirements. 
It does best on a fairly rich loam. It is not advisable to plant it 
on soil which is too hard or clavey, and therefore rather back- 
ward, as satisfactory results may not be obtained. Sandy or 
gravelly loams, or even a silty loam, will give very good results, 
especially if they are prepared deeply. In the rotation, corn 
follows any other crop very satisfactorily. As a general rule, corn 
is grown where sod, preferably «lover, has been inverted. 
PLOWING 
The land should be plowed deeply, early in the spring. Six 
and one-half to seven inches or even deeper is none too much. 
Care should be taken not to incorporate too much of new subsoil 
with this top soil, from one to one and one-half inches being suffi- 
cient in any one year. Following the plowing, thorough harrow- 
ing should be given; that is, the ground should be gone over three 
or four times rather than only once. Good tools for this work 
are the disc harrow, used twice over the piece, followed by the 
spike-tooth used several times. If the land is plowed early, es- 
pecially sod land, and thoroughly harrowed, a iarger amount of 
water will be conserved, particularly if harrowing foilows socy 
after each rain. 
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