SWEET COMN OR SUGAR CORN 273 



FORCING SWEET CORN 



204. Forcing under glass has been practiced for com- 

 mercial corn growing. Experiments have been tried, es- 

 pecially in New England. The Early Minnesota, Crosby, 

 Early Cory, Adams and other varieties have been used for 

 forcing with more or less success. A summary of sugges- 

 tions is given here. 



205. The requirements for forcing com under glass are 

 practically the same as those for forcing other warm- 

 weather plants, such as tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, and 

 egg-plants, — a day temperature of 70° to 80° and a night 

 temperature of 60° to 70° being required, the atmosphere 

 in the house to be rather moist during the first period of 

 the corn's growth, but when pollen begins to fall, the at- 

 mosphere being dry. The crop should be marketed before 

 July first, in order to be remunerative. Extra early 

 varieties maturing in from 65 to 83 days from seed are to 

 be used. The corn may be started in pots, either paper 

 or clay, a few seed in each pot, and later transplanted 

 where it is to stand in the greenhouse. Inter-cropping 

 with radishes, lettuce, or spinach may be practiced, to 

 utiUze all space in the greenhouse to the best advan- 

 tage. The distance between rows should be 18 inches, 

 and between hills in the row 9 inches. Suckers are very 

 common in a crop of this kind, and these should be re- 

 moved. The principal pests in the greenhouse are rats 

 and mice. They bother both by digging out the seed 

 and by attacking the matured ear, spoiling it for sale. 

 Poisoning or destroying these pests should be performed 

 before the crop is planted. 



206. Forcing corn in hot beds or cold frames very early 

 in the season, allowing it to mature in these beds, is a 



