SPECIALTIES IN CORN CULTURE 329 



Marketing — Popcorn is commonly marketed by 

 growers on the ear. A few dealers have worked up 

 quite a business in shelling and putting it up in pound 

 or quart pasteboard cartons, which are packed in cases 

 and sold to grocers for family trade. Many grocers 

 handle popcorn both in packages and in bulk on the 

 ear. For corn in bulk, a better grade is always de- 

 manded. One well-known eastern packer who sells 

 largely to grocers buys western popcorn for his pack- 

 age trade, but always the best crops of native grown 

 for the trade in unshelled corn. Much of the western 

 corn received in eastern markets is more or less shelled 

 on arrival. Shelled popcorn kept in boxes through the 

 hot weather is useless for popping. The corn gets too 

 dry and will not expand enough in popping to evert it, 

 but will split or crack. For this reason the trade for 

 corn on the ear will always hold good, as corn of good 

 popping quality can be kept only on the ear from one 

 season to the next. 



Twenty-five varieties of popcorn were cataloged 

 by Sturtevant in 1899. However, not more than half 

 a dozen of these are grown to any extent. The White 

 Rice is most popular in market and more of this is 

 grown than all others together. This variety is dis- 

 tinguished by the long, pointed, beaked kernel. There 

 are several varieties of the Rice corn, which differ from 

 the White in color only. These are the Red, Amber, 

 Blush, Page Striped, Yellow, White's White, Monarch 

 White and Bear Foot, the latter being a monstrous 

 form and the others only color forms. The illustration 

 (see Fig 96), from a photograph of seed ears, shows 

 typical ears of some of the more popular varieties. 

 The White Rice specimen was furnished by a Massa- 

 chusetts grower who has made a specialty of this crop 

 for fifteen years. This variety grows from five to seven 

 feet tall and produces ears four to eight inches long. 



