THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 295 
SWEET CORN 
Varieties. The kinds of sweet corn may be classed as 
early, medium, and late. The ears may be eaten in from 
sixty to ninety days, depending upon the variety. The 
size of the ear also depends upon the kind. The earliest 
sweet corn has a low stalk with small ears; it is best 
adapted to small gardens, as it does not shade other 
crops so much as the large varieties. 
Soil. Sweet corn will grow on many different kinds 
of soils, but it is at its best when planted in a deep, rich 
loam well fertilized with barnyard manure. The dress- 
ing may be put on either in the fall or in the spring; 
it must be well scattered and spaded or plowed under. 
A mixed fertilizer applied to the soil before planting, at 
the rate of from a thousand to fifteen hundred pounds per 
acre, will increase the yield. It may be scattered broad- 
cast or put in the hill while planting. 
Time of planting. The seeds will rot in the ground 
when it is cold and wet, but it is wise to plant a few 
hills of one of the earliest varieties soon after the frost 
is out of the ground. If another planting is made in two 
weeks, there will be no serious loss if the first planting is 
unsuccessful. Soak the seeds for several hours and plant 
on a bright day. All of the different kinds may be 
planted at about apple-blossom time. By making a 
careful selection of varieties a succession may be pro- 
vided for the summer. About the first of July plant 
one of the medium-early varieties for fall use. 
