The Field and Garden Vegetables of America Part 109

When ground in the ripe state, it is much less farinaceous and valuable for cooking or feeding stock than the fine, white, floury appearance of the kernel, when cut or broken, would seem to indicate.

TWELVE-ROWED SWEET.

A large, comparatively late variety. Stalk seven feet high; the ears are from ten to fourteen rowed, seven to nine inches long, often two inches and a half in diameter in the green state, and taper slightly towards the top, which is bluntly rounded; cob white; the kernels are large, round or circular, sometimes tooth-shaped, pure white when suitable for the table, dull white and shrivelled when ripe.

The variety is hardy, yields a certain crop, and is sweet, tender, and of good quality. It is the parent of one or two varieties of superior size and excellence, to which it is now gradually giving place.

_Field Varieties._--

CANADA YELLOW.

Early Canada.

Ear small, about seven inches in length, symmetrical, broadest at the base, and tapering to the tip, uniformly eight-rowed, in four double rows; kernel roundish, smooth, and of a rich, glossy, orange-yellow color; cob small, white; stalk four to five feet high, slender; the leaves are not abundant, and the ears, of which the plant very rarely produces more than two, near the ground.

On account of the small size of the ear, the yield per acre is much less than that of almost any other field variety; twenty-five or thirty bushels being an average crop. The dwarfish character of the plants, however, admits of close culture,--three feet in one direction by two or two and a half in the opposite,--affording ample s.p.a.ce for their full development; four plants being allowed to a hill.

Its chief merit is its early maturity. In ordinary seasons, the crop will be fully ripened in August. If cultivated for a series of years in the Eastern or Middle States, or in a lat.i.tude much warmer than that of the Canadas, the plant increases in size, the ears and kernels grow larger, and it is slower in coming to maturity.

DUTTON.

Early Dutton.

Ears nine or ten inches long, broadest at the base, tapering slightly towards the tip, ten or twelve rowed, and rarely found with the broad clefts or longitudinal s.p.a.ces which often mark the divisions into double rows in the eight-rowed varieties,--the outline being almost invariably smooth and regular; kernel as broad as deep, smooth, and of a rich, clear, glossy, yellow color; cob comparatively large, white; stalk of medium height and strength, producing one or two ears.

One of the handsomest of the field varieties, nearly as early as the King Philip, and remarkable for the uniformly perfect manner in which, in good seasons, the ears are tipped, or filled out. In point of productiveness, it compares favorably with the common New-England Eight-rowed; the yield per acre varying from fifty to seventy bushels, according to soil, culture, and season.

Much prized for mealing, both on account of its quality, and its peculiar, bright, rich color. In cultivation, the hills are made three feet and a half apart in each direction, and five or six plants allowed to a hill.

HILL.

Whitman. Whitman's Improved. Webster. s.m.u.tty White. Old-Colony Premium.

Stalk six feet or more in height, moderately strong at the ground, but comparatively slender above the ear; foliage not abundant; the ears are produced low on the stalk, often in pairs, are uniformly eight-rowed, well filled at the tips, and, when fully grown, ten or eleven inches in length; cob white, and comparatively small; kernel dusky, transparent-white, large and broad, but not deep.

The Hill Corn is nearly of the season of the Common New-England Eight-rowed, and is unquestionably the most productive of all field varieties. In Plymouth County, Ma.s.s., numerous crops have been raised of a hundred and fifteen bushels and upwards to the acre; and, in two instances, the product exceeded a hundred and forty.

This extraordinary yield is in a degree attributable to the small size of the plant, and the relative large size of the ear. The largest crops were obtained by planting three kernels together, in rows three feet asunder, and from fifteen to eighteen inches apart in the rows.

No variety is better adapted for cultivation for farm consumption; but for market, whether in the kernel or in the form of meal, its dull, white color is unattractive, and it commands a less price than the yellow descriptions.

From the most reliable authority, the variety was originated by Mr.

Leonard Hill, of East Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Ma.s.s.; and was introduced to public notice in 1825-6. Though at present almost universally known as the "Whitman," it appears to have been originally recognized as the "Hill;" and, of the numerous names by which it has since been called, this is unquestionably the only true and legitimate one.

ILLINOIS YELLOW.

Western Yellow.

Stalk ten feet or more high; foliage abundant; ears high on the stalk, single or in pairs, twelve to sixteen rowed, eleven to thirteen inches long, broadest at the base, and tapering gradually towards the tip, which is bluntly rounded; kernel bright-yellow, long and narrow, or tooth-formed, paler at the outer end, but not indented; cob white.

The variety ripens perfectly in the Middle States, but is not suited to the climate of New England.

ILLINOIS WHITE.

Western White.

Similar in its general character to the Illinois Yellow. Kernel rice-white; cob generally white, but sometimes red.

KING PHILIP, OR BROWN.

Improved King Philip.

Ears ten to twelve inches in length, uniformly eight-rowed when the variety is pure or unmixed; kernel copper-red, rather large, somewhat broader than deep, smooth and glossy; cob comparatively small, pinkish-white; stalk six feet in height, producing one or two ears, about two feet and a half from the ground.

In warm seasons, it is sometimes fully ripened in ninety days from the time of planting; and may be considered as a week or ten days earlier than the Common New-England Eight-rowed, of which it is apparently an improved variety.

Very productive, and recommended as one of the best field sorts now in cultivation. In good soil and favorable seasons, the yield per acre is from seventy-five to ninety bushels; although crops are recorded of a hundred and ten, and even of a hundred and twenty bushels.

As grown in different localities, and even in the product of the same field, there is often a marked variation in the depth of color, arising either from the selection of paler seed, or from the natural tendency of the variety toward the clear yellow of the New-England Eight-rowed. A change of color from yellowish-red to paler red or yellow should be regarded as indicative of degeneracy.

Said to have originated on one of the islands in Lake Winnipiseogee, N.H.

NEW-ENGLAND EIGHT-ROWED.

Stalk six or seven feet high, producing one or two ears, which are from ten to eleven inches long, and uniformly eight-rowed; kernel broader than deep, bright-yellow, smooth and glossy; cob comparatively small, white.

The variety is generally grown in hills three feet and a half apart in each direction, and five or six plants allowed to a hill; the yield varying from fifty to seventy bushels to the acre, according to season, soil, and cultivation. It is a few days later than the King Philip, but ripens perfectly in the Middle States and throughout New England; except, perhaps, at the extreme northern boundary, where the Canada Yellow would probably succeed better.

It often occurs with a profuse intermixture of red, sometimes streaked and spotted, sometimes copper-red, like the King Philip, and occasionally of a rich, bright, clear blood-red. As the presence of this color impairs its value for marketing, and particularly for mealing, more care should be exercised in the selection of ears for seed; and this, continued for a few seasons, will restore it to the clear yellow of the Dutton or Early Canada.

Many local sub-varieties occur, the result of selection and cultivation, differing in the size and form of the ear; size, form, and color of the kernel; and also in the season of maturity. The Dutton, Early Canada, King Philip, and numerous other less important sorts, are but improved forms of the New-England Eight-rowed.

PARKER.

A variety remarkable for the extraordinary size of the ears, which, if well grown, often measure thirteen or fourteen inches in length: they are comparatively slender, and uniformly eight-rowed. Cob white and slim; kernels bright-yellow, rounded, broader than deep.

Productive, but some days later than the Common New-England Eight-rowed.

WHITE HORSE-TOOTH.