CHAPTER TEN 

 SWEET CORN PROJECT 



Okra and martynia are unimportant vegetables that may be 

 included in the sweet corn group. 



Project XX. Growing Sweet Com 



Corn is a member of the grass family. There are several 

 thpusand species of plants in this family. Here belong the cereals 

 or grains, such as wheat, oats, barley, and rye, and the meadow 

 and pasture grasses. Corn was being cultivated by the Indians 

 when America was discovered and was for a long time known as 

 Indian corn. It has also been called maize. Although not now 

 known to exist in a wild form, it is generally believed to be a 

 native of the warmer regions of America. It grows under cultiva- 

 tion in the cooler areas but is distinctly a warm climate plant. 



Corn is an annual, completing its life-cycle and maturing seed 

 during a single summer. The root system is fibrous, and although 

 the upper roots aire near the surface, the lowermost roots finally 

 reach a considerable depth, possibly three feet or even more. In 

 addition to the ordinary roots, corn plants often develop " prop " 

 or " brace " roots from the nodes just above the surface. 



Corn is such a large plant that one scarcely thinks of it as be- 

 longing with the grasses. There is considerable variation in the 

 height of the stems. Some of the dwarf varieties are less than 

 three feet in height, while some forms reach a height of fifteen feet. 

 The stem is jointed and filled with pith. " Suckers " or branches 

 often arise from the lower joints, but they are considered undesir- 

 able as they absorb considerable nourishment but are not usually 



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