too short for Dent corn, and has been grown as far north as 50° N. lat. Dent or field corn (var. _indentata_) has the starchy endosperm extending to the summit of the grain, with horny endosperm at the sides. The top of the grain becomes indented, owing to the drying and shrinkage of the starchy matter; the character of the indented surface varies with the height and thickness of the horny endosperm. This is the form commonly grown in the United States; the varieties differ widely in the size of the plants and the appearance of the ear. [Illustration: FIG. 5.--Female Spikelet.] The colour of the grain varies greatly, being generally white, yellow, mottled red, or less commonly red. Soft corn (var. _amylacea_) has no horny endosperm, and hence the grains shrink uniformly. It is cultivated only to a limited extent in the United States, but seems to have been commonly grown by the Indians in many localities in North and South America. Sweet corn (var. _saccharata_) is characterized by the translucent horny appearance of the grains and their more or less wrinkled condition. It is pre-eminently a garden vegetable, the ear being used before the grain hardens, when it is well filled but soft and milky. It is often cooked and served in the cob; when canned it is cut from the cob. Canned sweet corn is an important article of domestic commerce in Canada and the United States. In starchy sweet corn (var. _amylea-saccharata_) the grain has the external appearance of sweet corn, but examination shows the lower half to be starchy, the upper horny and translucent. A form of flint corn, with variegated leaves, is grown for ornament under the name _Zea japonica_ or Japanese striped corn. [Illustration: FIG. 6.--Grain.]