This magnified cross-section through a corn leaf 
shows clearly its cell structure. The large open¬ 
ings are the principal veins by which water is 
carried up from the roots. It is a fact that there 
are just as many leaves on a stalk of corn as 
there are main root branches. 
Tucked away at the node behind every leaf 
along the stem is a tiny "embryo" ear of corn. 
These diminutive ears are found imbedded in 
a groove that runs down the stem from the 
main ear on every fertile stalk. From the picture 
it will be seen that this little ear is perfect in 
every particular—even to the silk, and perhaps 
in the search for more prolific corn, there some 
day will be a splendid ear to fill each niche 
Nature has devised for it. 
The leaves of the corn plant are de¬ 
signed to stand the force of strong 
winds. Due to their slow growth in 
the region of the strong mid-rib and 
much faster growth at the thin mar¬ 
gins, they have unusual flexibility. 
This uneven growth produces a leaf 
blade with a wavy margin, thus pro¬ 
viding added green leaf surface to 
imprison sunlight and build food 
energy. 
It is interesting to note that corn 
plants "breathe" through tiny open¬ 
ings called stomata in the leaves. 
DeKalb corn breeders have devel¬ 
oped varieties known for their extra¬ 
broad leaves of dark green color ... 
leaves which are believed to be more 
efficient producers. This extra dark 
green leaf color often makes it pos¬ 
sible to tell DeKalb Corn from others. 
The stems of the Corn Plant are divided into 
sections by joint-like growths known as nodes. 
The sections between the nodes are known as 
internodes. Pictured above is a magnified 
cross-section cut through the node of a corn 
plant. Few people know that these nodes are 
the starting points for all out-growths such as 
roots, leaves and ears. 
