Sweet Corn 1531 



stroyed. When the silk at the end of the corn has become dried 

 and brown in color, the corn, as a rule, is ready for harvesting. 

 However, this is not always a reliable indication of maturity on 

 the part of the kernel. If the ear appears plump and mature, 

 it is ready to harvest. If one is not experienced in this regard, 

 it may be best to open the husk slightly and view the kernels. 

 They should be in the milk stage, large, dull white, (not glossy), 

 and soft. Then one is practically sure of the condition of the corn. 



MARKETING 



For canning, the ears may be gathered in baskets or boxes as 

 picked, dumped into a wagon and, when a load is ready, carried 

 immediately to the cannery. The grower is credited the weight 

 of the corn, kernels, husks, and cob. 



The market gardener would take his corn to the packing shed, 

 and should there carefully grade the corn and pack each grade in 

 a separate receptacle. A bushel box should hold from forty-five 

 to eighty ears, according to the size. Some growers pack the ears 

 for shipment in bags, one hundred in each bag. This is not a 

 good practice, because the corn is easily bruised, becomes heated, 

 and is not in an attractive condition. Boxes or baskets should be 

 used, and the corn should be packed to attract the eye. 



The home gardener can go out in the garden thirty minutes 

 or less before dinner and harvest the corn direct from the plant, 

 placing it immediately in the water for cooking, and enjoy it a 

 little later with the guarantee that it is as fresh as one can get it. 



After the corn has been removed from the entire plot, or frost 

 has destroyed it, the stalks should be severed from the roots and 

 the garden made as attractive as possible. 



YIELDS 



One can obtain from eight thousand to nine thousand ears per 

 acre or from two and one-half to five tons of corn ears. A small 

 patch of corn will give the home gardener ample returns. 



