REPORT OF MR. JAMES MURRAY 377 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



dimate, all who have given it a fair trial agree that it grows luxu-'antly under our 

 climatic and soil conditions and produces more fodder per acse than any other crop we 

 can grow. It responds liberally to manure and cultivation and can be utilized as a 

 means of clearing the land of troublesome weeds. 



Corn will thrive on any fertile soil that is well drained. Some growers prefer a 

 warm soil with a southern exposure, and while this may be an advantage it is not a 



lecessity. A late cold soil is not suitable and should always be drained before being 

 planted to corn. 



It is a gross feeder and will thrive on any soil no matter how rich. No crop will 

 make better use of manure than corn and a good application should always be made 

 for this crop. Ideal conditions for its growth may be secured by ploughing sod land 

 in the summer after applying about fifteen tons of manure per acre, working it at 

 intervals during the late summer and fall and the following spring. Such a soil is 

 rich in decaying vegetable matter and while it might produce too rank a growth of 

 straw if sown to a grain crop, it will produce corn abundantly. A sod is not necessary, 

 however, for good results. Stubble land ploughed either in fall or spring and well 



nanured will give satisfactory returns. No other crop on the farm will make better 

 use of the manure. 



It is not advisable in this climate to sow the larger late varieties as they are so far 

 from maturity when the time for cutting arrives that they are deficient in quality 

 The earlier varieties do not produce as great a bulk of feed per acre, but if sown in 

 good time they are well cobbed by September 10, and hence have much greater feed- 

 ing value. We have found Northwestern Dent a very satisfactory variety in every 

 respect. It is a red corn that grows from seven to ten feet high and is well advanced 

 toward maturity in our short season. Other good varieties in order of earliness are 

 Golden Dent, Mercer, Compton's Early and Long-fellow. 



It is not safe to sow much before May 20, but there should be no delay after this 

 date. The corn planter is the most satisfactory implement for sowing, but unless a 

 considerable acreage is to be sown it would not pay to invest in one. The ordinary 

 grain drill can be made to answer the purpose. A sufficient number of spouts should 

 be plugged up so that the rows will be three or three and a half feet apart. The latter 

 distance allows the cultivator to be used to better advantage, but for small varieties 

 three feet between the rows is quite satisfactory. Twenty pounds of seed is sufficient 

 for an acre, and if it all grows it will require thinning. Before starting to sow, the 

 trill should be tried on a hard road or the barn floor to see that the kernels are being 

 dropped evenly every four or five inches. 



The success of the corn crop depends very largely upon the cultivation that it 

 receives during its growth. It is a good crop as a land cleaner only if full advantage 

 is taken of the opportunity to cultivate the land that the method of sowing affords. 

 Cultivation should start a few days after the corn is sown and should continue at 

 intervals until it is about six feet high. The cultivation serves not only to kill weeds 

 and to conserve moisture, but also to stimulate the growth. 



The first two or three cultivations should be given with the drag harrow. It 

 should be harrowed once before it is up and once or twice after until it is six inches 

 high, the harrow r s being used lengthwise of the rows to prevent injury from tramping 

 by the horses. A few stalks of corn will be rooted up, but so also will myriads of weeds 

 that have not yet showed above ground. The harrow is the cheapest weed killer we 

 have if used at the proper time. The cultivator should be started as soon as the corn 

 is too high to permit the harrow to be used, and it should be used as frequently a; 

 other work will permit; sufficiently often at least to keep weeds in chock. Cultivation 

 after each rain is advisable to keep the soil stirred and thus prevent evaporation. 

 For use until the corn is three or three and a half feet high, the two-horse riding culti- 

 vator that straddles a row is much to be preferred to the one-horse cultivator, as it will 

 cultivate the soil more thoroughly, particularly if it is hard. After the corn is too 



