corn grown with their products will be as good as the day it was picked.  On the other hand, ears of corn identified as grown with ordinary N-P-K technology will be seriously decomposed.  This "oddity," which is far more common than you may suspect, is generally attributed to "funny" protein.  When pressed, the speaker will describe malformed proteins and how they appear when too much nitrogen in the form of N-P-K is applied to the growing crop.  Much money is spent on "research" to discover ways of using yet more chemical additives to keep poor quality food from decomposing right on supermarket shelves.  One must wonder if any of those funds found their way to explore this phenomenon whether we might learn much about good agriculture and good food. CARE & CLEANING Refractometers require little, if any, special care. Normal wind, rain, cold, or heat will not damage them. (However, you should remember that temperature extremes might require using the correction chart ). Clean off plant juices with a moist paper towel after use (avoid grit or sand). You should not drop one, but accidents do happen. Check the calibration and continue using the instrument if there is no physical damage. Physical damage requires a return to the factory. Note: you can purchase prepared standard calibration liquids if your work requires extreme accuracy. Perhaps you have contracted to pay a certain premium if a grower achieves a higher-level brix and there is some question as to whether the specified mark