158 PRACTICAL CORN CULTURE 



Jacob, Illinois, July 30th, 1913. 

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



Dear Sirs: The soil on our farm is level and light. I plow the 

 stalk ground in the fall. I think that is the best time for the land 

 and gives the biggest crop. The stalks are cut and turned under 

 when corn follows corn. I believe it is better for the land and adds 

 nitrogen to the soil. In working the ground down after plowing, I 

 use the drag and harrow. The early plowed fields are harrowed down 

 when first plowed. 



In planting the corn I check in hills with two or three grains to a 

 hill, and harrow before it comes up; also harrow after it come up. 

 When the corn is about four inches tall, I bar it and after a few days 

 go over it again, throwing the dirt back. I cultivate about four inches 

 the first time over and plow shallow enough to get the dirt when I 

 lay by. My cultivators are discs. These I consider the best. I cul- 

 tivate about four times. The corn is about sixty inches high when it 

 is layed by. Eespectfully yours, 



JOHN W. CUPP. 



Green Valley, Illinois, April 20th, 1913. 

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



Dear Sirs: I am writing this letter to answer your questions in 

 regard to preparing the seed bed for corn. I have sandy loam, clay 

 and heavy black loam. These three kinds of soils all require different 

 handling. 



Since the stalks contain a large amount of humus and some 

 nitrogen, I cut them and turn them under on all the light soil. On 

 the heavy soil I burn them, since they grow so rank that they would 

 bother during the later cultivating. This heavy soil does not need the 

 humus in the stalks so badly, although they would undoubtedly help 

 the ground. 



A good plan is to cut the stalks and break the ground deep in 

 the fall, but since I am a stock farmer and need the stalk fields, I do 

 most of my plowing in the spring. 



I plow from five to seven inches deep, depending on the nature of 

 the soil. In working the seed bed I depend mostly on the harrow, 

 although I find, at times, it is an advantage to use the disc harrow 

 and the Bailey and Nichols clod crusher. This is different from 

 others, as it acts as a harrow and packs and breaks up the clods. 



