18 The Bulletin. 



face soil with disc harrow. This applies to clay soils. On sandy 

 soils it may be better to plow the manure in and give a deeper 

 covering. 



Corn is a vigorous nitrogen feeder, and if an abundance of nitrogen 

 is not in the soil in the form of stable or green manure, it will be 

 necessary to apply some in the fertilizers. However, very little should 

 be applied at planting time, just enough to give the plant a start, 

 and when corn is twelve to eighteen inches high a side application 

 should be made, and if nitrate of soda is used, this should be ap- 

 plied when bunching to tassel. The corn plant, unlike the cotton 

 plant, gets its full gro^^'th before developing the ear, and if there is 

 not sufficient organic nitrogen in the soil at earing time, it is some- 

 times profitable to apply nitrate of soda. But nitrate of soda is 

 expensive and an application of one hundred pounds to the acre will 

 add five cents per bushel to the cost of a fifty-bushel crop of corn. 

 It is always cheaper and more profitable to get the nitrogen through 

 legumes and stable manure. 



THE PLANTING SEED. 



!N^ot every farmer has rich land, but every farmer can have good 

 seed to plant. Many farmers could increase their yield five to twenty 

 bushels per acre, or even more, by planting better seed, and carefully 

 selecting in the field from the best stalks the seed for the next year's 

 crop and, as larger yields, as a rule, can be produced by growing 

 prolific varieties, the seed should always be selected from stalks bear- 

 ing preferably two ears, as the ears are apt to be larger when only 

 two of them than where three or more are grown, and it is more con- 

 venient to handle two good ears than three smaller ones. The seed 

 ears should be selected from strong, healthy stalks that have made the 

 best showing under average field conditions. An ample supply should 

 be selected in this way. 



The blades or fodder should be left on the seed stalks and let stand 

 until mature. This will add greatly to the vitality of the kernels, 

 and strong vitality is an important factor in producing a strong, 

 vigorous and productive plant. After the corn is well matured, gather 

 and husk immediately and re-select, selecting the best developed ears 

 with well-shaped kernels, and then string up under shelter in an airy 

 place and let hang until thoroughly dry. It can then be stored away 

 in a dry place where it will be protected from rats ; and to protect 

 from injury by weevils or other insects it should be treated with bi- 

 sulphide of carbon. This treatment can be given by placing in tight 

 barrel or box, the bi-sulphide placed in pan or shallow dish and set 

 on top of corn, tightly covered, and let remain so forty-eight hours. 

 The bi-sulphide fumes are inflammable and no fire, lighted match or 

 lamp should be near. 



