Farmers' Week in Agricultural College. 217 



we happen to have wet weather for two months after corn planting the 

 crop is lost, and they know it will be lost. Men who would not think 

 of putting out a crop without fertilizing it to some extent go right along 

 planting on land that needs tile drainage seriously. They sort of console 

 themselves with the thought, when they lose the crop, that it is a dis- 

 pensation of Providence, when the facts in the case are that this loss is 

 due to their dispensing with tile. Providence hasn 't much to do with it. 



The matter of early and thorough preparation of the seed bed for 

 corn is appreciated by all and I will not take time to discuss it. We do 

 not all, however, appreciate the value of planting corn in good season. 

 We have farmers who do not get in a hurry to plant corn until about the 

 first of June. Now, I shall have nothing to say about the proper day 

 of planting, but I do want to impress upon you that it pays to be on time 

 — whatever the proper time is in different sections of the country. In 

 our Station experiments, we have been beginning our planting at the 

 earliest possible date, some years two, three and four weeks before many 

 farmers would begin, and we plant a plot each week on into June. And 

 I want to say that as an average of four years we find it is the early 

 planted corn (where conditions will permit), that has produced the most 

 bushels per acre and corn of the best quality. Why, some years — in 

 fact as an average of four years — corn planted the first of June has 

 averaged over 30 per cent, of water at husking time in November, where- 

 as, corn planted a month earlier averaged about 16 to 17 per cent, in 

 our humid climate. I just want to drop that point — you can apply it 

 as it suits your conditions. 



A good many of us could improve our yields of corn if we had better 

 stands of corn. What is a proper stand? For our Ohio conditions it 

 is about 12,000 plants per acre. In very extended experiments on the 

 prairie soil of Illinois, taking a series of years, the maximum yield was 

 produced by between 11 and 12 thousand plants per acre, and the second 

 best yield with a trifle over 12,000. I do not know what sort of a stand 

 you have in Missouri, but Ohio doesn't come anywhere near averaging 

 that. 



I want to say a word with regard to the early cultivation of corn. 

 I believe that we ought to run over our corn fields at least once before 

 the corn comes up, and when we plant early and the weather is a little 

 damp and cool, and the corn comes up slowly, I would run over it twice 

 with a light smoothing harrow ; but if the weather is warmer you will 

 get over it but once. I believe it is the best thing the corn grower can 

 do — to run over it at least once before the corn comes up. 



Some of you can very likely improve your corn yields by getting 



