48 Progressive Agriculture 



Many have said in the past years; "What's 

 the use, if it rains, we will get crops; if it doesn't 

 rain, we will not." No more foolhardy idea was 

 ever conceived. A glance at Cuts 18 and 19 is 

 certainly somewhat convincing. To get the seed 

 bed in good condition and keep it cultivated and 

 clean of weeds, means nearly or quite as much to 

 the size and quantity of the crop of corn in a 

 wet year as in a dry year. 



The growing season of 1915 had the highest 

 rainfall recorded in 26 years over a large portion 

 of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad 

 territory west of the Missouri river, and it gave a 

 beautiful opportunity to observe and gather all 

 kinds of positive evidence that the same careful 

 application of principles in tillage that were 

 applied for best crop results in drouthy years has 

 brought proportionate larger yields in wet years 

 and that where there was carelessness and less work 

 applied the crops were smaller despite the abund- 

 ance of moisture. In fact, in many sections the 

 corn crop was not as good as in the dryer years. 



One of the interesting points which has been 

 established by this unusual season of 1915 is 

 that you must keep up your work, and to get 

 behind in timely work means loss every time, wet 

 or dry. In any and all seasons it is important to 

 keep out the weeds and to keep the mulch loose 

 and somewhat coarse. 



CULTIVATION OF LISTED CORN 



The use of the common spike tooth harrow 

 early in cultivation of listed corn is hardly prac- 



