The Quiz: Per an old farming adage, what should be “knee-high by the 4th of July”?
Potato plants
Wheat
Corn stalks
Strawberry plants
This old expression was used by corn farmers to gauge the success of their harvest each year, but today, it is somewhat dated. Thanks to advancements in farming, corn is now typically eight feet tall by midsummer — much higher than the average knee. As such, a new adage has emerged borrowed from a number in the musical “Oklahoma!” which says that the corn is “as high as an elephant’s eye.” Regardless of the expression used, taller crops mean an earlier harvest, which works out perfectly for Americans who enjoy having corn on the cob on Independence Day.
The correct answer to this quiz is Corn stalks.