CULTIVATED CROPS 



71 



the regular ones and the kind a planter can plant uniformly. 

 A corn grader will cost about $10.00, and is well worth the 

 money to any one who is planting any considerable amount. 

 If one has no corn grader it is advisable to shell off tip and 

 butt kernels and keep them out of the seed corn. 



Planting. — Corn is, as a rule, planted in the spring at 

 about the time danger of frost is p*i.st. There is, however, 

 no set date for planting, but a good practice to follow is to 

 plant as early in the spring as the soil can be and is well 



prepared and is warm 

 enough so that the seed 

 will germinate. There 

 is nothing gained by 

 planting corn in cold, 

 wet, poorly prepared 

 soil; for, in such con- 

 dition, seed, even if 

 good, is very liable to 

 rot in the ground. 

 Probably one very gen- 

 eral mistake is made in 

 planting corn too deep. 

 Corn cannot be made 

 to root deep simply by 

 planting deep. The 

 roots will go wherever the soil conditions are most favorable. 

 On ordinary land it is not wise to plant corn more than 

 from one to two inches deep. 

 Questions: 



1. What is a good crop to precede the com crop? 



2. Why prefer fall plowing to spring plowing for com? 



3. What IS gained by grading seed com? 

 Arithmetic: 



1. It costs 10c. per bushel to grade seed corn. What does it 

 cost per acre if a bushel of com plants 7 acres? 



2. If a man were to spend five hours shelling off tip and butt 

 kernels and picking out irregular kernels from a bushel of seed com, 

 how much would it cost him, if his time is worth 14c. per hour? How 

 much would it cost him per acre? (See Example 1.) 



REASONS FOR THE CULTIVATION OP CORN 



Conservation of Moisture. — One of the main reasons 

 for cultivating corn is to save moisture in the soil. There 



Figure 29. — Planting Corn. Straight rows 

 indicate good workmanship and are a 

 joy throughout the year. 



