THE GRAINS 143 



the first, since these soils are exceedingly deficient in 

 phosphoric acid. 



The need for potash is in most cases less evident. 

 Most Southern soils contain enough of this substance 

 for the present need of the corn crop and it should 

 only be applied when the need for it has been dem- 

 onstrated by actual experiment. For corn the mu- 

 riate of potash will answer as well as the more 

 expensive sulphate. 



Corn endures a certain amount of acidity in the 

 soil with very little harm. It is seldom, therefore, 

 that liming is necessary for this crop. 



Methods of Planting and Cultivating. — In the 

 Northern corn belt planting is mostly done with two- 

 horse check-row planters. These implements drop 

 two rows at a time, and by an ingenious device the 

 hills are so spaced that they will row in both direc- 

 tions, thus allowing cross cultivation. The distance 

 between hills is usually about three and a half feet, 

 though this varies in different localities. Before 

 planting, the ground is plowed and thoroughly har- 

 rowed. If the land was in corn the season previous, 

 an implement known as a stalk cutter is run in ad- 

 vance of plowing, which cuts the stalks up in short sec- 

 tions so that they will not interfere with plows and 

 cultivators. As soon as the corn is above ground or 

 even earlier, if there has been a rain to pack the sur- 

 face, a smoothing harrow is passed over the field with 

 the teeth set at a considerable angle, so that they may 

 not tear out the young plants. These, being slightly 

 below the surface in the planter furroAv, are seldom 

 injured, but the surface of the ground is stirred and 



