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Re: Corn problems?

At 02:39 PM 9/27/98 -0400, you wrote:
>Hello,
>
>This was the first year I tried to grow corn and the whole crop had
>worms or a purple growth disformed and  ruined the crop. What could I
>had done to prevented this from happening? I grow two rolls of corn with
>two corn stalks in each row. The crop never really grew to full size
>either. I grow the heirloom Trucker's Delight.
>
>Thank you,
>
>Carl.
>
You should have at least 4 rows of corn, situated so that the prevailing
wind blows across the four rows (for pollination).  The "purple growth" was
corn smut, a fungus that is prized in Mexico, canned and sold as maize
mushrooms or huitlacoche. It is not preventable, and due to its high market
value, a number of farmers have been trying to grow that, but getting it
started is tricky.  Corn earworms afflict corn whose husks are not tight
enough to keep them out.  Some people put a drop of mineral oil on the
silks to keep earworms from getting a foothold. Margaret
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