THE 
GARDEN YARD 194 
preserves it, at least from the crows. The idea 
is to get as many ears as possible from each 
plant, so give plenty of room, the rows being 
three to four feet apart, and each hill from two 
and a half to three feet apart. For early crops 
use Early Minnesota, Early Vermont, Cory and 
Crosby and other popular brands. The Stowell 
Evergreen is the standard for late crops. Corn 
may be sown successionally, at intervals of a 
week or two, either for the home garden or for 
market supply. 
In growing for market, earliness should be 
borne particularly in mind. The whole profit 
in corn may hinge upon even one or two days’ 
delay. In fact, where you are competing with 
many other gardeners, a half day may make a 
big difference. You can get ahead only by 
having quick and well-prepared land, planting 
the earliest varieties and giving the crop good 
tillage after it has begun to grow. 
Some gardeners force early sweet corn by 
placing a handful of fine manure in each hill, 
stamping it down hard with the feet. Loose 
dirt is then kicked over it and sprouted seed 
planted—that is, seed that has been soaked in 
warm water until germination has really begun 
within it. This is a good method where the 
soil is moist so that the seeds may get a quick 
