CORN LETTERS FROM THIRTY FARMERS 143 



TJnionville, Mo., April 20th, 1913. 

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



Gentlemen: I am of the opinion that, but few farmers realize the 

 importance of the properly prepared seed bed, and a good many who 

 do realize it, do not put it into practice. Many of us make noble 

 resolutions in December but fail to carry them out in May. I have 

 seen many farmers plow sod in the spring, disc and harrow once, 

 and plant twice, (the first planting did not come up), with the natural 

 result that the corn-pens were slim in the fall. 



I know of a farmer who did not work sod ground this last year, 

 until time to plant. His reasons were, that the season had been wet 

 the year before and the plowed ground was better if left alone. But 

 this season was dry, with the results that this field on sod made only 

 ten bushels per acre. It is always safe to work sod ground down, 

 and the drier the season is, the more work will be needed, and the 

 better the work will pay. Sod should be disced from two to four times, 

 depending on its toughness. I disced one field four times this year, 

 and there is no doubt but that it paid me. I use the disc and harrow 

 in preference to the drag. If the ground is not too wet, I harrow the 

 corn after it is planted. It pays to buy good seed corn of a reliable 

 breeder. PEAEL FIFE. 



Mr. Fife is a breeder of pure bred O. I. C. SWINE. 



Atoka, Oklahoma, April 22nd, 1913. 

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



Gentlemen: I am somewhat surprised and pleased to see that 

 Illinois farmers ask advice from an Oklahoma farmer in regard to 

 growing corn. The methods I follow would not be well suited to 

 Illinois conditions, but they are practiced by the most enterprising 

 farmers in all sections when there is a deficiency of rainfall. 



As soon as the corn is gathered the stalks are cut and the ground 

 listed up with a fourteen-inch lister and subsoiled with a long, shallow 

 plow. After plowing, the ground should be let alone until spring. 



When I am ready to plant in the spring I relist, subsoil and plant. 



For the first cultivation I use four long calf-tongue plows and 

 plow good and deep. The next plowing I use shovel plows. I lay by 

 with a disc cultivator when the corn is about waist high. 



Yours truly, DUTCH JONES. 



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