SWEET CORN 



Stalk, until the husk opens, will be injured 

 by a spell of damp, hot weather, causing 

 discoloration of the kernels. However, if 

 the weather is both cool and dry, and no 

 injury by freezing results, the sweet corn 

 cut and shocked like field corn will not 

 sour before it dries. 



Corn which has been thrown in a large 

 pile with or without the husks on will, 

 inside of 24 hours, develop enough heat to 

 injure the germ, discolor the kernels, and 

 cause the cob to sour. 



Even fire heat has not proved entirely 

 satisfactory when used to dry the corn, 

 owing to the souring of the cob before it 

 has time to properly dry out. If, however, 

 the ears be husked out on a dry day and 

 allowed to lie exposed to the direct rays 

 of the sun for a few hours, the organisms 

 which cause fermentation are killed, and 

 a layer of impervious matter is formed over 

 the surface of the corn and the butt end 

 of the cob, which makes it more difficult 

 for fermentation to start in either corn or 

 cob. 



126 



