84 
A KITCHEN GARDEN 
it will come in very acceptably. Most gardeners 
exhaust their supply about the middle of September, 
as they do not continue to plant late enough. If 
there is danger of heavy frost early in the fall, the 
corn that has well-set ears that have not yet ripened 
should be cut off at the ground and stacked against 
the south side of a fence or building; it should be 
stood up nearly two feet in thickness, to prevent 
freezing, but should not be thicker, as it will heat 
too much and will be awkward to handle when sort¬ 
ing over for the good ears. Treated in this way it 
will provide ears for use well into November, but of 
course they will not be of as fine a quality as those 
matured in the ordinary way. 
As the earliest varieties only grow about three feet 
high and have the ears set close to the ground, the 
best way of planting them is to drop the seed ten 
inches to one foot apart, in drills. Sow plenty of 
seed, and if it comes up too thickly it can easily be 
thinned out when hoeing; all suckers should be 
broken off at the same time, so as to throw the 
strength of the plants into the ears. 
If two rows are planted across the garden at each 
planting they will furnish an ample supply for the 
average family. If it is needed for canning or drying, 
an extra large planting should be made early in May, 
which will mature after the heavy harvest work is 
over and before the fall fruit is ready to preserve. 
If some fine compost is placed in the drills or hills, 
it will help greatly to give the young plants a good 
start until they can reach the manure with which 
the garden has been dressed ; where this compost is 
