HARVESTING 147 



harden, and the warm sun of autumn has developed 

 these starches, sugars and gums in larger quantities. 



DATE OF MAXIMUM HIGHT, WEIGHT AND FOOD CONTENT 



Tests at the Illinois experiment station, averaging 

 the results for a series of years, indicate that so far as 

 hight is concerned, the maximum is attained during 

 the latter part of August, but the greatest weight does 

 not occur ordinarily until the middle of September or 

 a little later, depending upon the season. At this time 

 also it is interesting to note that the water content of 

 the plant is much smaller than a few weeks earlier. 

 The protein content has not increased much up to this 

 time, but the starch has almost doubled during the last 

 four weeks and the sugar increases considerably. Of 

 course, fiber increases also, but not in so great a pro- 

 portion as the starches and sugars. The middle of 

 August the corn examined contained about 81 per cent 

 of water, a little over i per cent of ash, i J4 per cent of 

 protein, 51-3 per cent of fiber, loyi per cent of starch 

 and j4 per cent of sugars, gums, etc. About one 

 month later, when the crop had attained its greatest 

 weight, it had the following composition : Water 6724 

 per cent, ash 1 2-3 per cent, protein 2 2-3 per cent, fiber 

 6f4 per cent, starch 20 1-3 per cent, sugars, gums, etc, 

 1 per cent. This shows a rapid increase during the 

 last four weeks. Early in October the change was 

 still more marked, analysis showine the following 

 composition : Water 56 per cent, ash 1 $4 per cent, pro- 

 tein 3j/£ per cent, fiber 9 per cent, starch 28 per cent, 

 sugars, gums, etc, 1 1-3 per cent. In 1889 the crop 

 reached the greatest hight the first week in August. 

 It reached its greatest weight of drv matter the third 

 week in September, the increase during the month 

 being nineteen per cent of its total weight of dry mat- 



