San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-12-18
CORN IS BEST
IF TWEEN TY
DAYSO[D
Government Agricultural
Department Makes
Numerous Tests.

Those who relish corn on the cob,
good thing that is distinctly Ameri'
can, know there is all the difference in
the world between corn Of the right
kind cut at the right time, and wha,
is most charitably described as the
other kind. The really sweet and
juicy corn, so rclishcd by Abe Mar
tins friend that he bit his finger be-
cause he forgot to slow up for the
turn, is a delectable dish. And for
tunate indeed is the person who can
get it, fresh from the field and served
so piping hot that the butter slides
off almost before it is on.
Canned corn may differ just as
much as corn on the cob. The right
kind cut at the right time and canned
as fast as it comes from the field is a
delicious food-and just as distinctly
American as corn on the cob. Why
the people Of other countries don't aIr
preciate green corn, either on the cob
or in the can, is n mystery to most of
us.
MYSTERY UNSOLVED.
Neither Mark Twain in his Tramp
Abroad" nor Irwin Cobb in his Eat
ing in Three Languages" could solve
the why of some foreign tastes, so
Americans will probably have to 20 on
wondering about it till the conserva-
tive eater in other lands finally makes
up to what he is missing.
To be just right, corn must be can
ned when it has the highest sugar
content along with the proper texture
and consistency. Sweet but soupy
corn may satisfy the tongue but it
displeases the eye, and it's n fact that
we do considerable lot of choosing
and picking, if not eating, with the
eye. Good looking corn does not sat
isfy, of course, if it lacks flavor and
sweetness. So there is a problem for
the Gamer.
Every Gamer has worked with the
problem, and several years ago the
United States department of agri-
culture through its bureau of plant
industry undertook study of the rela-
tive merits OF sweet corn varieties for
canning purposes and the relation of
maturity of the corn to the quality of
the finished product. Six years ago
experiments were started at the Ar
lington experiment station, just across
the Potomac from Washington, ana
while the work has been interrupted
several times by the pressure of other
Investigations, the bureau has obtained
results that are of interest TO both con,
sumer and eanner. g. .'s-.-
20 DAYS OLD.
Summed up, the Bureaus studies
thus far have shown that at about
the age of 20 days from the first APP
pcarance of silks the highest rate of
increase in cut corn is secured; that
from the standpoint of tenderness the
corn should be canned as early as
possible and not ex-- lding the 25-day
stage; that at the age of Is days
from silking the sugar content is high
est in all varieties of corn, and that
at the age of IL to % DAYS the hest
consistency is secured in the canned
product. The findings indicate that
there is brief period of only six
or seven days in the history Of sweet
corn when the first quality may be
secured, and that the closer one can
get to the earlier age the higher the
quality of tho pack, particularly as
to the tenderness, sweetness and
flavor. Quality in canned corn seems
to depend not on the varsity so much
as upon the degree of maturity and
promptness Of handling.
1t is these requirements for quality
getting corn at the right stage and
handling it promptly-that have lit
orally taken the canning industry TO
the corn fields. Some Gamers buy
their corn from growers TO whom
they furnish seed of the proper va
rieties; others raise their own corn.
CANNING RUSHED.
Whatever way they may obtain
their raw materials, all Gamers hurry
the corn TO the can. knowing that
delay is as fatal to the quality Of
their product as is the keeping of
roasting ears on market shelves until
they have lost their freshness and
flavor. This need for speed, as we'll
as the desire to reduce cost and
thereby reach larger number of
consumers, has resulted in the in
PRODUCTION of mechanical devices to
remove the hus.s, axe off the silk.
wash the corn and cut the kernels
from the cob or squeeze out the
creamy portion leaving the kernels on
the cob.