162 PRACTICAL CORN CULTURE 



tivator. In these furrows I plant the corn. I sometimes cultivate the 

 corn before it conies up with disc cultivator by throwing the dirt from 

 the corn, then let it come up and get three or four blades on it, 

 then follow with a shovel cultivator. I cultivate two or three times, 

 then for the last plowing I use disc cultivators, set to throw the dirt 

 to the corn. After this last plowing I leave the field until time to 

 harvest the crop. 



Our soil is heavy and level. I plow the stalk ground in the spring. 

 The ground should be plowed five to seven inches deep, owing to the 

 soil, and the stalks should be turned under because it adds humus to 

 the ground. I use drags and disc harrows to work the ground down 

 after plowing. I let the early plowed fields stand until I am ready 

 to plant before harrowing down. Sometimes I harrow before the corn 

 comes up. In dry weather I harrow and roll after the corn comes up 

 and the first time it is cultivated I plow from four to six inches deep. 

 When I lay by I plow from two to three inches deep. 



Yours respectfully, MAEK MITCHELL. 



Xenia, Ohio, April 14th, 1913. 



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



Gentlemen: Our ground is a rather heavy clay soil, with spots of 

 black ground scattered around over every field on the farm. It is 

 level, and not being underlaid with sand or gravel, most of it needs 

 tile. We have considerable tile laid, but there are several places where 

 more would be of benefit. 



While we have never tried plowing for corn in the fall, I believe 

 a heavy sod that is not rolling enough to wash, would do better than 

 if plowed in the spring. One of our neighbors tried this, and was 

 very successful. Where the ground is exposed in this way throughout 

 the winter, some of the fertility may escape, but I do not believe there 

 would be enough to offset the advantage to be gained by the conserva- 

 tion of moisture, especially if the season was dry. Then, too, the sod 

 has a chance to rot and is ready for the corn as soon as it begins to 

 grow. We try to get our sod plowed as early in the spring as pos- 

 sible, and I think we shall experiment some with fall plowing, since that 

 is the only way to find out anything. 



We prefer to have the ground plowed seven or eight inches deep 

 and not worked when it is too wet. We do not aim to follow corn 

 with corn, but when it can't be very well helped, we burn the stalks 



