SWEET CORN CULTURE 



CHAPTER I 

 BOTANY OF SWEET CORN 



SWEET corn, botanically, is one of the 

 family Graminea of the tribe Maydeee. 

 It can be quite easily separated, owing to 

 its definite characteristics, from the other 

 groups which are included under the mono- 

 typic genus called Zea, the one recognized 

 species being Zea mays. 



Sweet corn is a plant which grows similar 

 to the field corns, having an upright stalk 

 with long, narrow leaves which have veins 

 running the length of the leaf, and having 

 the sexes of the flowers on two different 

 parts of the stalk — the tassel, which is 

 found on the apex of the stalk, and is 

 known as the staminate part of the flower; 

 and the so-called ears, which contain the 

 pistillate flowers on a hard, thickened cob, 

 all of which is inclosed in a husk. 



From this cob and up through the end 

 of the husk protrude fine, silky bodies, which 



