1S70 The Cornell Reading-Courses 



and soft. Sweet corn should Ijc harvested earefully so that the stalks are 

 not broken as the ears are severed from them, and so that the kernels are 

 not pressed too hard. After all the corn has been harvested from the 

 entire plot or after there have been killing frosts, the stalks should be cut 

 down and the garden made as attractive as possible. The stalks may be 

 fed to stock, composted, or destroyed. 



Yields. — Sweet com can be made to ^aeld per acre from eight to nine 

 thousand ears, or from two and one-half to five tons of husk, cob, and 

 kernels. 



PEAS 



Peas, which are native to Europe as well as many sections of the United 

 States, have been cultivated for centuries; they were, in fact, commonly 

 grown l3y the early Greeks and Romans. In this country, peas are most 

 generally grown in the northern states, for they thrive in a cool, moist 

 climate. 



Site. — The best site for the late varieties of peas is a northern exposure, 

 because it is cooler and more moist than any other location. The early 

 varieties, however, should be planted on a southern exposure, for the grower 

 must sacrifice a small amount of the yield in order to obtain early maturity. 



Soil and its preparation. — The writer has found by careful observation 

 that a nonacid clay soil or a silty loam is best for the late varieties of peas, 

 whereas a sandy loam is seemingly best for the early sorts. Muck soils 

 have an abundance of moisture and a relatively cool temperature ; however, 

 they are not as a rule desirable for growing peas, because they produce 

 a rank growth of vines but a limited amount of pods. The very light 

 sandy soils are not suitable, because they produce neither thrifty vines nor 

 pods of good size. 



As a rule, peas should be grown on diilerent soil each year. If an acre 

 or more is planted, they may follow sweet com, cabbage, potatoes, or some 

 other cultivated crop. In the garden, peas may be planted after root 

 crops or other crops that have been weed free. 



For peas heavy soil should be plowed in the fall and lighter soils, such 

 as sandy or gravelly loams, in the spring. In either case, the ground should 

 be thoroughly harrowed and smoothed a short time before the seed is 

 planted. A disk harrow is adapted for use on hea\y soil, and either a 

 spring-tooth harrow or a spike-tooth harrow for use on light soils. The 

 preparation of the seed bed for this crop is very important. 



Manures and fertilizers. — For peas the soil may be oversupplied with 

 nitrogen and humus, and stable manure must be used sparingly. As 

 a rule, it had better be applied the year previous on some other crop. 



There is rarely too much a\'ailable potash and phosphoric acid in soil 

 for peas; wood ashes and well- composted hen manure will supply these 



