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Bill queries:

And as long as I'm on the (off-topic) subject, I had something eat the 
kernels from the tops of almost all of my ears of corn. I assumed that it was 
squirrels, but this is inside my electric fence, and I haven't seen any sign 
of them elsewhere in the backyard (normally, they'd go for the peaches 
first). I'm sure it wasn't opossums or raccoons. None of the ears were torn 
from the stalk. (Squirrels will usually try to carry stuff away.) The kernels 
were just eaten at the top, and for an 
irregular length below that.

My reply:

Corn fed squirrels, season for a week on Winesap apples and acorns - 
delicious!

Oh, back to the topic.  I am no expert and I don't stay at Holiday Inns but 
Is it possible that your ears simply did not fill out all the way.  My 
limited understanding is each silk is a kernel and each silk needs to be 
pollinated to fill out and they develop from the bottom up so you can run out 
of pollen at some point in the development etc and have just cob at the top.  
This happens a lot on the second (smaller) ear of corn I get on Sugar Dots 
and to a much lesser extent on Peaches & Cream (the main crop one not the 
early one by the same name).  You also can get this if you are growing a 
super-sweet and mid pollination a su variety drifts in (once gain my layman 
understanding).

Perhaps one of our more experienced corn growers can comment.

The fluffy one (who just went out and picked the last of the Sugar Dots and 
some more Peaches and Cream for lunch while waiting anxiously for the 
"GottaHaveIt" to mature.)

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