CORN. 47 



consider the vastness and value of the corn crop, the immense 

 amount of animal food yearly produced by its use, and the 

 measure of wealth and comfort furnished to mankind. 



The Cultivation of Corn. 



BY WILLIAM H. YEOMANS, COLUMBIA, CONN. 



In order to succeed to a high degree in the cultivation of 

 any crop, certain conditions must be fulfilled. These are, the 

 preparation of the soil for the introduction of the seed, the 

 kinds of manure used, and the manner of applying the same, 

 the after care during the growth of the crop, the harvesting 

 of the same, &c. These vary in different crops, but as corn 

 only is to be considered in this article, it is unnecessary to 

 travel outside of the rules usually observed in its cultivation. 



As to the preparation of the soil, it may be said that indi- 

 viduals vary, very much, since some prefer to plant upon the 

 sod broken during the fall previous to the spring of planting, 

 others upon the sod broken just before planting, and still 

 others, in a course of rotation upon land previously prepared, 

 by being sown to buckwheat one season, and followed the 

 next season by potatoes, the season following being allotted 

 to corn. But it is not unfrequently the case that a prepara- 

 tion of. the soil is necessary, previous to the plowing, since it 

 is abundantly proved that if any excess of moisture exists in 

 the soil, maximum results cannot be expected. Soil unen- 

 cumbered by an excess of moisture is naturally porous, ca- 

 pable of receiving the atmosphere which passes through it, 

 unless the same is compact clay or firm subsoil. When, then, 

 a soil is finely comminuted, and still retains the air spaces, 

 it is, other things being equal, in the best possible condition 

 to receive the small rootlets of the plant, which will then have 

 no difficultity in spreading themselves ; but the great difficulty 

 is, far too many fields are almost wholly destitute of these 

 favorable conditions, and must bo brought to this state by 

 artificial means. This applies to all heavy, compact, wet soils, 

 and those having such a subsoil as retains more or less surplus 



