When the kids were little, we had a
"Where's Waldo?" book. You wouldn't think it would be that hard to find a bespectacled guy in a red and white striped shirt that kind of looks like a circus tent. But on many of the pages, it would take awhile to discover where Waldo was hiding in the brightly-colored scene.
I know the feeling in real life now. It's a good thing I was following Randy into the corn field. I'd never have found him otherwise.
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| July 2, 2014 |
It had been 13 days - and another 3.5 inches of rain - since the last update photo June 19. (Click
here for previous photos with my human measuring stick.)
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| June 19, 2014 |
Once I found him, he was all smiles. And it's no wonder. Many of the corn stalks have three ears of corn.
More ears, more grain - or so we hope!
The silks on the ears are turning brown, which signals the plant is
pollinating. (Thanks to fellow Kansas blogger Nicole at
Tales from a Kansas Farm Mom for finding the link about corn pollination.)
The corn has a well-established root system, helping to keep it upright. There are roots in the soil, but there are also what are called "brace roots," which help keep the stalk from falling over. According to an article from Purdue University, the brace roots enter the soil some distance away from the stalk, so
have a better angle from which to brace the plant.
While the wheat crop hasn't been all that great this year, it's fun to dream about a good corn crop. But, as always, there is a lot of time between planting and harvest.
Wow, more rain and the corn looks good. Makes one smile.
ReplyDeleteHow the wheat harvest going?
We are started on the haying. Things were going great until yesterday. Two hours of raking and I broke the rake. It's a major I broke the rake. J left a little after 5 this morn to take it to a metal machinist and hope the guy has time and is willing to fix it today.
We have one field that was still too wet to cut Saturday afternoon. Randy is going to try this afternoon. It's just that field and mud holes now.
DeleteJake swathed alfalfa Saturday, then Randy baled until 1:45 this morning. Randy swathed yesterday afternoon and again now. He hopes to bale again tonight.
Good luck with getting the rake fixed. We still have a loaded wheat truck in the field that we can't get started, so, unfortunately, I can relate all too well. More about that tomorrow!