1296 



Rural School Leaflet 



Make furrows three and a half feet apart the lonj^^ way of the eorufiekl 

 if possible, for that will faeilitate the; work of eiiltivation. The furrow 

 marker drawn by one or two horses will be found the best means of fur- 

 rowing the rows. It can also be used for check marking the field. 



Plant the corn in hills, five kernels in each hill. Make the hills three 

 and a half feet apart in the row for large-growing varieties, a less dis- 

 tance apart for small varieties, especially sweet com and pop com. Cover 

 each hill with fine mellow soil so that the kernels lie buried about one 

 and a half inches below the surface. In stiff, clayey soils a planting 

 depth of one inch is better. If the soil is rather dry, pat the surface 

 lightly with the back of the hoe blade to bring the soil moisture up around 

 the buried kernels and make them sprout faster. 



Hand planters are made that will drop from two to five kernels in 

 each hill, and it will save time to use them; but one should be careful 



to see that enough loose soil 

 falls in upon the com to cover 

 it well after the open blades 

 of the planter are withdrawn 

 from the soil. 



If a horse-drawn corn 

 planter can be secured in the 

 neighborhood, it will save 

 making furrows before plant- 

 ing, and, if the field is level, 

 will leave the rows in better 

 condition for cultivation. 

 Cultivation. — In order to 

 kill the sprouting weeds that lie near the surface of the soil, the field 

 should be harrowed lightly or stirred with a weeder. About a week 

 after the com shoots can be plainly seen in the rows, it is time to' 

 begin using the cultivator. A quiet, steady horse hitched to a single 

 cultivator, or a team and a wheel cultivator with small blades, should 

 be used to stir the soil between the rows of com. Cultivation kills 

 the weeds, airs the soil, and prevents the evaporation of moistiu*e from 

 the deeper soil. Com is benefited by frequent cultivation, at first 

 moderately deep, then more shallow as the roots spread out through the 

 soil. When the hot dry days of stunmer come, and the com is tasseling, 

 a small-toothed cultivator, which leaves the surface soil fine and nearly 

 level, will be most useful. Unless weather conditions interfere, the 

 cornfield should be cultivated four times or more. The soil between 

 the hills in the row needs to be hoed as often as weeds appear. Never 

 hoe or cultivate the cornfield when the soil is so moist that it feels sticky 

 if squeezed in the hands. 



Typical corn crib 



