CORN LETTERS FROM THIRTY FARMERS 141 



Larehland, Illinois. 

 W. T. Ainsworth & Sons, Mason City, Illinois. 



Gentlemen: Our soil is heavy, rich and level. I plow what ground 

 I can in the fall and the rest in the spring, and it is plowed as deep 

 as the team can pull the plow. It should be plowed eight to ten 

 inches deep. 



All stalks are cut and turned under in order to add humus to the 

 soil. As soon as the ground is plowed in the spring it is harrowed 

 and later it is worked into a seed bed with the harrow and disc. 



I use weeders both before and after the corn is up in preference 

 to the harrow. 



I start plowing corn when it is from two to six inches tall. The 

 first time over I cultivate deep, but later cultivations are shallower. I 

 cultivate the corn all I have time to, which, of course, varies with dif- 

 ferent seasons. The cultivation is always continued until the corn is 

 BO tall it begins to break under the arch of the cultivator. 



I shall look forward to receiving your book on "Practical Corn 

 Culture." Very respectfully yours, 



H. KALLISTA. 



Arcola, Illinois, April 9th, 1913. 

 W. T. Ainsworth & Sons, Mason City, Illinois. 



Dear Sirs: I am writing in answer to your letter to give you my 

 experience as a corn grower. 



Our soil is a black, heavy loam and is very level; in fact, it is so 

 level that it is necessary to survey before laying tile. 



We think our soil is the cream of the Corn Belt, at least that is 

 what the wise men at Champaign tell us. 



I prefer to have my corn ground plowed in the fall and usually 

 succeed in getting all the sod and pasture plowed at that time. I am 

 fully convinced that fall plowing should be at least six inches deep. 



Since the stalks add humus I prefer to cut them and turn them 

 under. If the tenant farmer is not equipped with implements for cut- 

 ting the stalks he had better burn them, where corn follows corn, since 

 they will be in the way of cultivation. 



If the ground is packed we use the disc, if freshly plowed the 

 spike-tooth harrow in preparing the seed bed. We usually harrow 

 ground just after plowing. I consider all work on the seed bed time 

 well spent. 



