KING CORN 155 
time may be extended, especially if our soils are natu- 
rally wet and not well drained. When it is possible to 
work the soil we should not be idle during this time. 
We must not forget that a crust on the soil causes the 
soil moisture to evaporate very rapidly. A loose soil 
prevents this and absorbs moisture from the air. 
An insufficient quantity of available moisture is a great 
cause for short crops, hence the importance of doing that 
which will conserve the moisture so the corn roots will 
absorb it. 
Nothing conserves moisture in the soil like a soil mulch. 
This soil mulch is the great secret of corn cultivation. 
A large crop of corn cannot be grown without it, so the 
necessity of beginning to create soil mulch in the earlier 
stage of corn growing, or between planting and culti- 
vating time. It will practically stop all moisture evap- 
oration from the surface of the soil, and stirring the soil 
will kill the weeds, so to procure this soil mulch the 
harrow or pulverizer should be run over the planted corn 
before the corn sprout has pushed its way through the 
soil. 
