DAIRY AND SEED IMPROVEMENT MEETINGS. 237 



effectively used even after the corn has come up. There is little 

 injury and but very little loss from harrowing the corn over 

 after it has reached the height of two inches or more. Shallow 

 cultivation about once a week should there be heavy showers of 

 rain will prevent the growth of the weeds by destroying them 

 when quite small and will also maintain the mulch. This should 

 be continued as long as the team can pass through the rows of 

 corn without damaging them. Where a two horse cultivator 

 is used, it will pass over the corn very nicely, even if the corn 

 is from three to three and one-half feet tall. In case of 

 drought, the shallow cultivation becomes more important. 



HARVESTING THE CORN. 



The time of harvesting sweet corn for canning purposes is 

 governed by the instructor for the factories, who recommends 

 the corn to be sent in, at whatever time he deems advisable. 

 For growing mature corn for seed, the harvesting should take 

 place as late as the season will permit or earlier if the corn is 

 mature enough, as poorly matured corn is very apt to shrivel up 

 and show a lack of maturity by being loose on the cob. 



Corn for the silo should be allowed to reach the glazing stage 

 in order that food value should be combined with succulence, 

 to secure the greatest economic returns. The following will 

 give one illustration of the desirability of up-to-date methods 

 of cultivation of sweet corn. 



On one of the demonstration farms near Waterville, the 

 demonstration comprised one acre of sweet corn in comparison 

 with the balance of the field. The first seed com secured only 

 tested out fifty-eight per cent germinating corn. This was dis- 

 carded. The next lot tested out ninety-eight per cent. This 

 was used. 



From the acre on which the directions of the demonstrator 

 M^ere followed, sixty-eight dollars was the amount of the re- 

 turns from the sale of the crop. On the adjoining acres, the 

 average per acre was thirt}-nine dollars. There was no appre- 

 ciable difference in the land, and the difference was directly the 

 result of the improved methods of cultivation. Well prepared 

 soil, good seed, thorough tillage and judicious harvesting are the 

 watch words to success in corn growing. 



