CORN LETTERS FROM THIRTY FARMERS 145 



grains to the hill, and three by six each way. As soon as I finish 

 planting, I harrow the field crosswise, and as soon as the corn begins 

 to come up, I harrow it the other way. I do not wait for the corn 

 to get a given height, but put in my eight-shovel eagle claw cultivator 

 and walk, as I don't believe a man can do as good a job riding. I 

 believe if you do not get up to the corn the first and second times 

 and get the weeds out of the hills, you will have weeds in the fall. 

 In this section of the Corn Belt, the use of all surface plows, from the 

 first, I think is a mistake, since the rains beat the ground down, and 

 it requires the shovel plow to loosen it. The small cultivator gives 

 you plenty of mulch so that when you use your gophers you can do a 

 good job. I use Tower Surface Plows the last three times. I always 

 run them deep enough, so that there will be' loose dirt falling over 

 the shovels at all times. If you don't do this you are bound to have 

 weeds between the rows. The last plowing the corn ought to be about 

 four feet high and I run my shovels just deep enough to get the dirt 

 up to the corn, and I figure on getting it layed by about the 4th of 

 July. HENEY DUTTENHAVEE, 



E. F. D. No. 1, Kentland, Indiana. 



Wheatland, Indiana, April 14th, 1913. 

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



Gentlemen: I will give you my experience as a farmer on corn 

 culture. 



PREPARATION OF SEED BED FOR CORN 



Soil: My soil is what is known as white oak ri^ge soil, a mixture 

 between clay and loam, which will produce most any kind of grain 

 and hay. It is somewhat rolling, which forms a natural drainage. 



I think the best time to plow stalk ground is in the spring, because 

 freezing and thawing injure fall plowed soils in our locality. We 

 always strive to build up our soil in every way possible for the production 

 of a bountiful harvest. I have always had better success growing crops 

 on spring plowed stalk ground than on fall plowed. 



I plow six or seven inches deep for corn, and would prefer twelve 

 inches if I had the power to do the work. By plowing deep, you have 

 a deep soil which is necessary for a good corp of corn. The old 

 adage, "Plow deep while sluggards sleep and you will have corn to 

 sell and to keep," is certainly true. 



