CORN GROWERS ASSOCIATION. 57 



member you have to put that dirt back. You have the labor of throw- 

 ing it up and throwing it back. You are wasting your effort and your 

 horse-power. 



Mr. : In a series of years, don't you think we have more 



trouble with drought than with too much water? 



Dr. Waters: Yes. 



Mr. White: Would you recommend burning off the ground? 



Dr. Waters :. No ; I would use fire sparingly. 



Mr. : I would like to ask if any harm can result from 



turning under the sod in the winter time when very wet? I went over 

 my field a few days ago where the men had not plowed. The sod was 

 wet, and I figured that it would not be dry probably until June, so I 

 turned it under and took my chances. 



Dr. Waters : That would depend largely upon the amount of 

 humus in your soil. 



Mr. : I would like to ask as to the killing of cut-worms 



by fall powing? 



Dr. Waters : You undoubtedy turn them up and freeze them out. 



Mr. Wing: I was very much interested in that paper, especially 

 the part which speaks of rotation. I believe you people here are old 

 enough in the business that you will admit that the basic principle of ro- 

 tation is a good crop of clover. I want to call your attention to our 

 farm in Ohio, which we started about twenty years ago. We tiled and 

 underdrained it first. Then, by growing clover and alfalfa on that land 

 by rotation, we succeeded in growing 80 bushels of corn to the acre, 

 and we did that two years in succession. The first year we got 66 

 bushels to the acre ; then by rotating and putting on a slight spread of 

 manure and sowing it back to corn again, we got 80 bushels to the acre. 

 This was on clay soil. We have grown alfalfa on this field for five or 

 six years. Think we could get four crops of alfalfa a year off that 

 land. We have taken off an average of five tons to the acre during 

 the past five years. I was interested in what Dr. Waters said about 

 tile-draining. We have found that true. They did not seem to draw 

 until we got a lot of manure worked through that land, and after that 

 those tile drains worked first-rate. I just know when I break a field 

 whether it will grow good crops or not. I can tell it the way the black- 

 birds follow along after me when I drop the corn ; and if they don't fol- 

 low me, I just scratch my head and say I have got to get more humus 

 into that soil. 



Mr. Plackmeyer: I plow the ground thoroughly from 7 to 9 



