EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS 



18^ 



from two and one-half to three feet high, having but few ears and these merely soft 

 nubbins. 



The yield per acre of green corn and of dry matter on the several plots is given in 

 the next table. 



Plot 1, no cultivation 



Plot 2, frequent and shallow 

 Plot 3, frequent and deep .. 

 Plot 4. infrequent and deep. 



East strip. 



Green 

 weight. 



t>.s. 



2,186 



13,207 



12,687 



12,167 



Dry 

 matter. 



lbs. 

 723 

 o,.^32 



■1,799 

 4,380 



West strip. 



Green 



weight. 



lbs. 



1,848 

 12.2S8 

 12,700 

 10,514 



Dry 

 matter. 



lbs. 

 620 

 4,790 

 4,728 

 3,849 



In the east strip the yields of green fodder stand in the same order as the per 

 cents of moisture noted in previous tables, except that Plots 2 and 3 are reversed. 

 In the west strip. Plots 2 and 3 are not reversed. The green weight is not, however, 

 the true indication of the returns of feeding value from the fields. What the farmer 

 wants is not gross weight but feeding value, and this fact is determined by the 

 pounds of dry matter yielded. Comparing then the yields of dry matter on the 

 several plots, we find that the order for the east strip remains the same,Avhile Plots 

 2 and 3 are reversed in the west strip, making the sequence of plots in order of 

 greatest yield as follows: Frequent cultivation, 3 inches deep; frequent cultiva- 

 tion, 5 inches deej); ordinary cultivation. 5 inches deep, and no cultivation. 



The per cents of dry matter in the yields of the different plots are as follows: 



East strip .. 

 West strip. 



Plot 



Per cent. 



33.08 

 33.53 



Plot: 



Per cent. 



41.89 

 39.08 



Plot 3. 



Per cent. 

 37.83 

 37.23 



Plot 4. 



Per cent. 

 36.00 

 36.61 



It is interesting to note that the per cents of dry matter stand in the same order 

 3.S the yields. This fact goes to show that not only does proper cultivation give 

 larger yields but the product is more valuable, pound for pound. 



Experiments have shown almost conclusively that a thick mulch is more effective 

 than a thin one in conserving moisture. That the deeply cultivated plots should 

 have more moisture than the others was to be expected; but deep cultivation, es- 

 pecially after the corn roots are well developed, injures so many roots tuat It Is not 

 strange that the growth of the corn should be checked and the yield reduced. To 

 decide how deep the cultivation may be to secure a good mulch and at the same 

 time not injure the corn roots will require much experimentation. Out of twenty 

 trials conducted by the Wisconsin Station (AVis. Report 1894, page 282) comparing 

 cultivation one and one-half and three inches deep, fourteen favored three inches 

 and five favored one and one-half inches. The average yield for the twenty trials 

 in favor of three inches was 1.08 per cent. In the trials reported in this bulletin the 

 average yield in favor of the three inch cultivation is 8.34 per cent. 



On the plots cultivated three inches deep it was noted that, after the roots had 

 developed, they occupied the soil to the lower limit of the mulch formed by the 

 cultivators. The teeth could not have run deeper without destroying many roots. 

 These facts seem to indicate that three inches is approximately the correct depth for 

 corn cultivation. The character of the soil should be taken into consideration. On 

 the east strip the difference in favor of the three inch cultivation was 15.27 per cent, 

 while on the west sti'ip where the soil was heavier, the difference was only 1.31 per 

 cent. 



Experiments at the Ohio Station do not confirm these results. There, cyi a gravelly 

 soil, trials extending over two years gave an advantage of 7.64 per cent, in favor 

 of shallow cultivation in yield of grain, while similar trials on a heavy clay soil gave 

 8.14 per cent, advantage for the same cultivation. Further investigation along this 

 line is much needed. 



