Thirty-fourth Annual Convention. 193 



, Increase of Nutrients During Maturity. 



It is of great importance to know at what stage corn should 

 be cut to secure the best results, how rapidly nutriment is 

 stored up in the corn plant as it approaches maturity, and when 

 the maximum amount is reached. The following table illus- 

 trates this point : 



Table 1. Water and Dry Matter in Corn Crop at Different Periods after 

 Tasseling. New York (Geneva) Station. 



Dry 

 Date of Corn Water Matter 



cutting . Stage of growth per per per 



acre. acre. acre. 



Tons. Tons. Tons. 



July 30. Fully tasseled 9.0 8.2 .8 



Aug. 9. Fully silked 12.9 11.3 1.5 



Aug. 21. Kernels watery to full milk 16.3 14.0 2.3 



Sept. 7. Kernels glazing 16.1 12.5 3.6 



Sept. 23. Ripe 14.2 10.2 4.0 



In the last column is shown the dry matter per acre in corn 

 at different stages. When the corn is fully tasseled it contains 

 but eigh-tenths of a ton of dry matter per acre, or only one-fifth 

 what it contains when fully ripe. When in the milk it contains 

 nearly thr6e times as much dry matter as when fully tasseled. 

 Only seventeen days were occupied in passing from the milk 

 to the glazing stage, yet in this time there was an increase in 

 the dry matter of 1.3 tons per acre. This shows the great ad- 

 vantage of letting the corn stand until the kernels are glazed. 

 After this period the increase in dry matter is but slight. 



Time to Harvest. 



To have the silage keep well the corn must be cut at the 

 proper stage of maturity. If cut before it is sufficiently matured, 

 too much acid develops. If too ripe, it does not settle properly 

 and the air is not sufficiently excluded to prevent spoiling. 



Corn should not be cut until the ears are out of the milk 

 and most of the kernels glazed and hard. In Cut 3, ear No. 1 

 is in the soft dough stage ; No. 2 is beginning to dent ; No. 3 is 

 nearly all dented, but a few kernels are still in the milk; No. 4 

 shows all of the kernels dented. When corn is put into the silo 

 it should usually be as ripe as ears No. 3 and 4. In case the 

 weather has been so hot and dry that the lower leaves have fired, 

 the corn should be cut before the ears are quite so far advanced. 



