154 KING CORN 
first joint, about an inch above the grain. Plant the 
grain too deep, a new and unnatural joint must be 
formed at the surface (it is never formed under the sur- 
face), from which the brace roots begin to grow. This 
new joint-forming process stays the growth of the plant 
until the new joint is formed. 
Heretofore I have tried to impress upon my readers 
the fact that we should study Nature’s ways of doing 
things, so that we may avoid doing that which crosses 
her, for if we do we pay the penalty. 
A study of corn growth will convince any student of 
nature that corn is injured when its seed is planted to 
a greater depth than one inch. If this be true, then the 
practice of planting corn in a furrow and filling the 
furrow by cultivation is wrong. 
Next to planting the corn the proper depth is a good 
corn planter with which to plant the seed. 
A poor corn planter is about the worst nuisance on the 
farm. Get the best that can be procured, and consign 
all poor ones to the scrap heap. 
In selecting seed corn discard tips and butts and run 
seed through a grader so same is of uniform size before 
using in planter. The planter should be set for planting 
two grains to the hill. 
Extra strong soil will mature three grains to the hill, 
but under all conditions I have found that it is best to 
only plant two grains to the hill; but in planting two 
grains to the hill it is very important that you have good 
seed or your stand may be poor. 
Between planting and cultivating there elapses gen- 
erally two weeks. Sometimes, on account of rains, this 
