114 



Conclusions. — In the making of ensilage from mixed crops, rye or clover, it ia 

 desirable to put the crops into the eilo in a green and succulent condition. They 

 should be lun through a cutting-box, to provide for even distribution and close 

 packing. They must be weighted heavily, either by the application of artificial 

 pressure, or by being put into the bottom of a silo, which will be filled shortly after- 

 wards with corn ensilage. The interstitial spaces between the fine stalks of sui-h 

 crops as oats, pease, rye, clover and grass, hold sufficient air to cause them to mould 

 or decay, unless pressure be applied to expel it. The silo offers a convenient place 

 for the saving of such crops, when the weather is unfavourable, but the lighter yield 

 which can be obtained of them per acre hinders them from being as profitable to 

 grow for ensilage as a crop of corn, wherever that can be grown to the " late milk" 

 or "glazing " stage of maturity. 



The experience of the season points to the following conclusions in regard to the 

 growth of corn, the construction of silos, and the filling of the same : 



Soil. — If a field with a loose, warm, loamy soil be convenient to the silo, and 

 can be used, it should be selected in preference to heavy claj'-, or cold soils. Sod may 

 be ploughed under, shortly before the crop is planted, with the probability of good 

 results from that method of preparation. In all cases, the land should receive a 

 libei-al dressing of barnyard manure, be ploughed in the spring, and be harrowed to 

 a state of fine tilth before the corn is planted. 



Seed. — The vitality and vigour of growth of the variety of corn which has been 

 selected should be tested. The putting of a few grains in a flower pot in a wai-m 

 place in the house will enable any farmer to verify for himselfthese qualities in his 

 seed grain. Frequent disappointment results from neglect in testing the vitality 

 of corn before planting it. Asa general rule, the variety which will yield the largest 

 weight per acre, and reach the "glazing" stage of maturity before the frosts come, 

 is the one to select for any district. The "glazing" siage may be otherwise 

 described as the stage when the corn is just past its best condition for boiling in the 

 ear for table use. It is better to err on the side of selecting a variety of a habit 

 of small growth, which certainly will reach the glazing stage, than a variety of large 

 growing habits, which may not come to the desired stage of maturity. 



The maximum quantity of seed per acre may be put at 25 pounds; excellent 

 results have been obtained from the planting of 18 to 20 pounds per acre. 



Manner op Planting. — Planting in hills, 3 feet apart, both ways, appears to 

 afford the corn a better chance for maturing earl}^ and for producing a large num- 

 ber of ears. A hand corn-planter may be used to dibble in the corn. From 4 to 

 6 grains per hill should be planted. Corn may also be planted by the use of a hoe, 

 and covered to a depth of at least 2 inches. In that case the foot should be pi-essed 

 on the soil over the corn. -For small areas, furrows 3 inches deep may be ploughed 

 3 feet apart. A marker (which may be constructed by driving wooden pins or 

 harrow-teeth through a plank at distances of 3 feet from each other), may be drawn 

 across the furrows. From 4 to 6 grains may be dropped at the points of inter- 

 section. They can be covered quickly and well by the planter's foot. Foi- large 

 areas, a single or double horse corn-planter may be used with advantage. The plant- 

 ing of corn in hills affords an opportunity for the effective cleaning of land from 

 weeds, without much hand labour, bj'' permitting cultivation in both directions. 



If planted in rows, the rows should be from 3 to 3^ feet apart, and the grains 

 ijiay be put in at rates of 3 to 4 grains per lineal foot. For small plots, a 

 convenient method is to open a furrow with a plough ; the seed may be diopped in 

 at the rate already mentioned, when it may be covered. For large areas, a single 

 or double corn-planter will be found a serviceable implement. 



Depth. — Corn seed should be planted to a depth of from 2 to 3 inches. 



Cultivation. — In cases where a crust forms on the land, before or immediately 

 after the corn comes through, a light harrowing will prove very helpful to the vigour 

 anil growth of the crop. Harrowing of the corn until it is 6 inches high will 

 increase the rapidity of growth and the yield per acre. The cultivation l)elween 

 the rows, when the plants are small, should be close to them, and deep. When the 



