SEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK-PART X. 591 



SOME IMPORTANT DON'TS. 



Remember, don't put the shelled seed-corn in boxes or barrels; if 

 you do it is liable to heat and spoil. 



The numiber of kernels to plant per hill will depend on the kind of 

 soil, conditions of weather and the insect in the soil, and what you want 

 the crop for. If for fodder you will want to plant it thicker than if you 

 just wished to harvest the corn. You will have to be your own judge as 

 to the number of kernels best to plant per hill. 



The kind of a planter to buy will depend upon how you have pre- 

 pared your seed-corn. My advice is for you to shell and grade your seed- 

 corn as you intend to for planting, then take some of your own seed-corn 

 and test Che different makes of iplanters and buy the one that drops 

 your corn best. You want a planter that will plant your kind of co-rn — 

 not a planter that works well on the corn that you do not want to plant. • 

 Don't buy a planter and then have to buy seed-corn to fit the planter; 

 buy the planter that works best with your own seed-corn. 



Don't 'be afraid of getting too good a seed bed. Soon as you have in 

 your oat crop, disc your corn ground; it stops evaporation and retains 

 the moisture, the land will work up better, you will get a better seed bed 

 and the result will be a better corn crop. Fall plowing warms up soonest 

 and you can prepare a better seed bed and get your corn in earlier. 

 The winter freezings and thawings pulverize the lumps and destroy the 

 insects, the corn makes a better growth before dry weather comes and 

 will mature earlier. 



Spring plowing has its disadvantages. If a wet season the ground is 

 hard to get in shape, more or less lumps, and slow in warming up, dries 

 out more than fall plowing, corn grows slower, is later maturing, mora 

 soft corn and does not yield so well as fall plowing. 



The time to plant will depend on the weather, condition of the soil 

 and preparation of the seed bed. Early planting as a rule gives the 

 best results, as the corn gets a better start before the dry season comes, 

 the roots are better developed and can resist the dry season better. The 

 early planting yields better, matures better, less danger of being caught 

 by the early frost, less soft corn and you can select better seed-corn for 

 next year's crop. Late planting is affected more by dry weather, is slower 

 maturing, more liable to be caught by the frost, more soft corn and less 

 chance to pick good seed-corn. 



FAVORS SHALLOW PLANTING. 



Shall I plant my corn deep or shallow? As a rule shallow planting 

 gives the best results if you have prepared a good seed bed; but if the 

 ground is dry and lumpy, then you will have to plant deeper so the 

 seed will receive moisture enough to germinate. "When the corn Is 

 planted early and deep the ground is cold, seed will sprout slowly and if 

 cold rain follows the seed will sour and be weakened. If a crust forms 

 on the ground it will not all get through. You will have weak stalks and 

 missing hills and may have to replant your entire field. 



