377 



on plot 1 was burned, February 27, '96. Plot 2 was plowed 

 without first setting fire to the vegetable matter. Fertili- 

 zers, culture, etc., were the same for both plots. 



The yield of corn in bushels per acre was as follows : 



Burning trash vs. not Miming it. 



The increase of nearly three bushels per acre on the plot 

 where fire was not used is a strong argument against whole- 

 sale burning preparatory to breaking land. While it is 

 often inconvenient both in preparation and in subsequent 

 cultivation to contend with dead weeds, cornstalks, etc., yet 

 one can scarcely doubt the good effect of such material in 

 the permanent improvement of the soil. The crying need 

 of the majority of Southern soils is for vegetable matter) 

 which is valuable (1) for its fertilizing ingredients, and (2) 

 especially for its effect in so changing the texture of the soil 

 as to make the latter less sensitive to drought. The custom 

 of always burning cornstalks and weeds must inevitably re- 

 sult in decreased productiveness, and this is true of prairie 

 land as well as of sandy and clay soils. 



VIII. Methods of Harvesting Corn. 



For this experiment one measured acre of branch bottom 

 land was used. Mosby Prolific corn, a variety with several 

 small ears per stalk, was planted April 6 in rows 4^ feet 

 apart. Fertilizers, which were applied in liberal quantity, 

 were separately weighed for each row. 



The original plan was for the entire stalks on every fourth 

 row to be cut and cured, for the tops to be cut from a second 

 set of rows, for the blades or "fodder" on a third lot of rows 



