Sweet Com 



321 



time of ripening may make'a difference between the profit- 

 able and unprofitable crop, particularly when one is un- 

 der strong competition with neighboring gardeners. In 

 such cases the grower secures the early crop by means of 

 the very earliest varieties, carefully selected seed, and par- 

 ticularly by having quick and well-prepared land to which 

 only readily available fertilizers have been added. If the 

 land is inclined to be hard and rough, it is well to turn it 

 up loose in the fall. 



Tillage of sweet corn should be shallow and frequent 

 until earing well begins; tliereafter the tillage may be 

 little or discontinued, but weeds should be kept down by 

 hand or pulled as they appear. 



Although corn is a hot-weather plant and thrives in the 

 fullest exposure to sunlight, it nevertheless is not able to 

 withstand drought as well as potatoes and many other 

 crops. This is because it is relatively a surface feeder. 

 Every effort should be made, therefore, to save the mois- 

 ture in the soil. The moisture content is held by deep 

 preparation of the land and by the incorporation of veg- 

 etable matter. Thereafter it is saved by surface tillage. 



In the general market, corn is usually retailed by the 

 dozen ears. As a field crop for the canning factories, the 

 ears are ordinarily sold by the ton, after all small and im- 

 perfect ears are discarded. The ears of the second setting 

 will develop better if those of the first setting are picked 

 as soon as they are fit for use. 



It is a frequent practice to pull the ears too soon, to get 

 the benefit of early market. The kernels should be large 

 and well formed when the corn is harvested, so that they 

 make a continuous pavement-like surface on the ear, "well 



