CHAPTER XVII 



HARVESTING, PACKING AND 



MARKETING 



HARVESTING 



AS a general rule, the market gardener 

 or truck grower is so familiar with 

 the maturing of sweet corn that it is not 

 necessary to tear down the husk and look at 

 the kernels to see whether the ear is in 

 the correct stage for consumption or not. 

 The general characteristic of the corn — 

 the appearance of the silk and the plumpness 

 of the ear — is the mark by which the 

 grower is able fully to determine the 

 maturity of the sweet corn. However, the 

 majority of them use the method of grasping 

 the ear, and when they find it to be 

 plump under their grasp, they reaHze the 

 corn is in the correct stage for harvesting. 

 The methods employed in breaking the 

 ears from the stalk are similar to those 

 mentioned under harvesting in the home 

 garden. The corn can be removed by some 

 growers, however, by a quick movement 

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