36 PRACTICAL CORN CULTURE 



to blame for uneven checking. Uneven checking inay be due 

 to several causes. If the wire is too tight the planter checks 

 too soon ; if too loose it checks too late. To check true the 

 driver should form the habit of always drawing the wire to 

 a uniform tightness. While the slack should be kept out 

 of the wire the driver should never form the habit of putting 

 the point of the stake in the ground and using it as a lever 

 to tighten the wire. This practice makes the wire too tight 

 for even checking besides causing undue wear on both the 

 wire and planter. If the planter checks too soon the shoes 

 or runners should be pulled back. On all makes of planters 

 w r ith which we are familiar, there is a place on the tongue, 

 (where it is bolted to the planter), to make this adjustment. 

 If the checking is only a trifle "out" it may be corrected 

 by shortening or lengthening the breast straps by which 

 the tongue is raised or lowered. 



Disc FURROW OPENERS 



Disc furrow openers consist of small frames and two discs 

 each. The frames are fastened to the shoes of the planter 

 so that the discs are on each side of the runner. The bottom 

 of the discs are from one to two inches above the bottom 

 of the runners, depending on how deep the corn is to be 

 covered. The purpose of these discs is to throw out a furrow 

 from two to five inches in depth. The corn is planted in 

 the bottom of this furrow. 



We have used furrow openers on nine-tenths of our plant- 

 ing for over five years, and can say without hesitation that 

 they are a wonderful aid in maintaining clean culture. With 

 the aid of the furrow opener and the high arch surface culti- 

 vator, our cornfields are as clean at husking time as they 

 were formerly after the first plowing. The use of the furrow 

 opener gives us a chance to cover all the weeds in the hill 



