Silvermine White Dent Corn

112 days — ‘Silvermine’ is an old dent variety that was once commonly grown throughout the Corn Belt of the United States. It is a little earlier than ‘Boone County White‘, with somewhat smaller ears but usually deeper grains.^[1] The ears grow about nine inches long and have fourteen to sixteen rows of large, white kernels. ‘Silvermine’ can be used as a roasting corn variety, and is also excellent for grits, meal, and animal feed.

Its history is a bit confusing as there are several similar varietal names (i.e. ‘Iowa Silver Mine’ and ‘Silver Mine’). To further complicate matters, after it was originally released to the public (circa 1890), it became popular and further breeding work commenced. This resulted in an increasing number of strains with the same name. In 1903, the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station obtained commercial samples from several seed companies — Funk Bros., Iowa Seed Company, and Barteldes Seed Company — and started breeding work. They subsequently sold their strain to a Mr. Ernest W. Young of Lawrence, Kansas in 1907 for further refinement and release.^[2] Each ounce is approximately 65 seeds.