98 The Bulletin. 



cultivated to conserve moisture aud to malve plant food available, there are 

 really no weeds to kill, because these will be destroyed incidentally even be- 

 fore they are seen. 



As soon as the corn is planted the cultivation should begin. A harro.w or 

 weeder should be run over the field to keep the surface in good condition and 

 to conserve the moisture. If there should come a sho,wer. the same operation 

 should be repeated for the same purpose, and this should be continued until 

 the crop becomes too large to use these implements. At this point, unless the 

 soil is in the best mechanical condition, it is advisable to cultivate rather 

 deeply in order to open up the soil for the circulation of air and sunshine into 

 the soil, and at this time the root growth has not become so large as to cause 

 damage to the crop by slight pruning. After the corn has attained a height 

 of eight inches this should be discontinued. 



The harrow and the weeder are economical tools to use in the first cultiva- 

 tion, because they cover so much surface and do the work in a thorough man- 

 ner — that is, they stir the entire surface, breaking every inch of the soil crust 

 and dislodging all weed seeds that may be germinating at the time. The next 

 tool to use should be the riding or walking row cultivator, preferably the 

 riding cultivator, because at each crossing of the field one row is finished. It 

 is advisable for the farmer to consider the cost of cultivating his crop, and 

 if he can do the work just as well by one crossing as he can by two crossings, 

 he has saved one trip across the field ; and in this day of scarce, high-priced 

 labor, the saving of one trip counts immensely. It means the cultivation of 

 his crop two times where he would cultivate only once with the one-horse 

 implement, and this saving of time and expense enables him to reach his crops 

 soon after the rains, before the sun and wind have crusted the surface and 

 started the weeds and grass. Such rapid cultivations eliminate the use of the 

 hoe, a very exiiensive tool to use on the farm. These cultivations should be 

 contimied until the corn is too large to use the riding cultivators. Of course, 

 this should be done shallowly, so as to break as few roots as possible. When 

 the corn is too large to use the row cultivator, the Iron Age or some other 

 tool cultivating one middle at the time should be used. These small one-horse 

 cultivators can be used more advantageously in large corn than the two-horse 

 cultivators, and, besides, they have small, spiked teeth which merely scratch 

 the surface, forming a mulch to conserve the moistiire by preventing rapid 

 evaporation. This should be continued until the corn begins to tassel and silk. 



If cowpeas are to be sown in the corn, this should be done before it is too 

 late for the peas to get considerable growth, as it is useless to sow peas very 

 late in corn. It is advisable to plant peas in corTi, but the l>est way I have 

 found to do this is to take the planter when the corn is half-leg to knee high, 

 and plant a row of peas five to six inches from the corn row, using some fer- 

 tilizer, and the cultivation can be continued .iust as if there were no peas. 

 This method is advisable, because the cultivation can be continued much later 

 and the peas have a longer period of growth. ^ 



The question of moisture in corn growing is the great unsolved problem. 

 It requires from 1.400 to 1,800 tons of water to produce a good corn crop, and 

 we rarely get this amount of water in the usual rainfall of the growing season 

 from May to September. If a deep and well-prepared seedbed has been pro- 

 vided, and the cultivation has been good, we have reasonable certainty of a 

 good crop ; but if either is neglected the crop will be short. Clay soil bakes 

 hard after a heavy rain, and if this should not be broken up inniuKliately. the 

 loss of moisture is very great. Indeed, the loss of moisture is so great and 

 the soil becomes so packed and hard that it Is hardly possible to bring the soil 

 again into good condition. Therefore the value of cultivation can hardly be 

 overestimated. The land between the rows should be left level so as to expose 

 as little surface as possible. 



With good preparation, and the method of cultivation herein outlined faith- 

 fully carried out, tiiere is reasonable certainty that a large yield of corn may 

 be expected. 



