426 The Principles of Vegetable- Oar dening 



feeder. Every effort should be made, therefore, to pre- 

 serve the moisture in the soil. The moisture content 

 is increased by deep preparation of the land and by 

 the incorporation of vegetable matter. Thereafter the 

 moisture is saved by frequent light surface tillage. 



In the general market, corn is nearly always retailed 

 by the dozen ears, the price ranging from 25 cents a 

 dozen early in the season down to 10 and even 5 cents 

 when the main supply comes in. As a field crop for the 

 canning factories, the ears are ordinarily sold by the 

 ton, 8 to 12 dollars being an average price for that quan- 

 tity after all small and imperfect ears are discarded and 

 some allowance is made for extra husks. The ears of 

 the second setting will develop better if those of the first 

 setting are picked just as soon as they are fit for use. 



Rows of corn are made at 3-4 feet apart. In the row the hills 

 (of 3-5 stalks each) are planted at 2X~3 feet apart, or single ker- 

 nels may be dropped every ten to twelve inches. At 2X~3 feet 

 apart, the crop may be tilled in both directions. When the corn 

 is small, the ground may be harrowed without destroying the 

 plants. In hills, one peek to the acre is required for planting. 

 8,000 to 10,000 ears should be secured from an acre. 



Sweet corn is a race or variety of common Indian corn, or Zea 

 Mays, one of the grass family, and a native of America, although 

 the wild type is unknown. For a general botanical and horticul- 

 tural account of corn, see "Varieties of Corn,^^ Bull. 57, Oflfice of 

 Exp. Stations (U. S. Dept. Agric), by the late E. L. Sturtevant 

 (1899). For history of sweet corn, see Sturtevant, Amer. Nat., 

 July 1885, pp. 664-5. In 1889, American seedsmen listed 76 varie- 

 ties of sweet corn and 22 varieties of pop corn. 



For insects and diseases, see, amongst others, the following: 



Wire-worms, Cornell Bull. 107, desc. and ill. Fall cultivation. 

 Short rotation, including thorough cultivation in fall. 



