Farmers' Week in Agricultural College. 133 



preparation, more time in cultivation, and we must pay higher prices 

 for the seed we plant. And we must learn how a dollar so invested can 

 be made to bring two or more dollars in return. AVith this, too, must 

 go the maintaining of our soils in a higher state of fertility, thus mak- 

 ing it possible for the improved methods of culture and the improved 

 seed to bring their proper return. 



In the discussion of methods of culture, I cannot cover the whole 

 field, but I shall content myself in pointing out some of the more strik- 

 ing features which are either too commonly misunderstood or neglected. 

 In the preparation of land for corn, farmers, as a class, have been con- 

 tent with too shallow plowing and too little attention to the prepara- 

 tion of a seed bed. We cannot grow good crops of corn on land broken 

 three or four inches deep unless the soil is very rich or the season ex- 

 ceptionally favorable. The time was when our soils were new that 

 this matter was of less importance, but with a decreasing fertility we 

 must lend every aid to the corn plant in order that it may yield abund- 

 ant return. A deep mellow seed bed for the spread of the roots of the 

 young corn plant is very essential and the more mellow this seed bed, 

 the better. 



A feature in soil preparation that is taking considerable hold in 

 Missouri and surrounding states is the disking of land before breaking, 

 especially where the land is spring plowed. Where corn follows corn 

 there is no better method of handling the stalks than the use of a heavily 

 weighted disk harrow, which will chop them up and at the same time 

 loosen the surface soil, thus making the plowing one horse lighter and 

 giving a loosened layer of soil to turn down instead of the clods which 

 too often exist. Such a system gives that mellow seed bed so much 

 desired and allows of a depth of breaking not easily secured without it. 

 The same system is being followed on sod land, particularly clover sod, 

 with excellent results, and even on heavier sods, such as blue grass, it is 

 being used with marked success. 



Where such disking is done early, especially on stalk land, it has 

 another important value in allowing a greater absorption of moisture to 

 tide the corn over the dry period of late smnmer. In this ease, if the 

 land is not rolling as to allow serious washing, the fall disking of land 

 A^hich is to be spring broker, would be of great value in holding the 

 winters' rain and snow. 



The value of thorough preparation of the seed bed after breaking 

 is too well known to need discussion here. The old saying, that corn 

 should be half tilled before it is planted, contains a great deal of 

 truth. Too often our fanners do not fully appreciate this and stress 

 of work or unfavorable weather conditions lu-events that thorough 



