FOR BETTER CROPS IN THE SOUTH 11 



Depth of Planting — Corn should be planted deep enough to 

 insure a generous supply of moisture for germination. On 

 heavy clay, moist soils, planting to a depth of one inch is suf- 

 ficient. On loose, sandy, relatively dry soils, planting to a 

 depth of four inches is often necessary. The depth will vary 

 between these depths, depending on the character of the soil. 

 Planting late in the season usually necessitates deeper covering 

 than early planting. 



When to Plant— The date of planting corn in the South 

 ranges from the latter part of February and first part of March, 



A corn field on the IHC demonstration farm 

 at Marion, Alabama 



in the southernmost sections, to the latter part of April and 

 first of May in the more northern sections. Corn should not be 

 planted until all danger of a killing frost is past, and the soil is 

 becoming warm. Uplands are usually planted earlier than low- 

 lands; sandy lands earlier than clay lands. 



Cultivating the Corn Crop — The feeding roots of corn grow 

 comparatively near the surface of the soil, hence deep cultiva- 

 tion is very injurious. From one and one-half to two inches 

 should be the usual depth of cultivation. There are conditions 

 under which deeper cultivation would be justifiable, as, for 

 example, when the corn is small and the soil hard and compact, 



