96 



ELEMENTS OF FARM PRACTICE 



3. Describe a good method of growing loot crops. 



Arithmetic: 



1. If a farmer has ten cows and wants to provide each cow 20 

 lbs. of roots per day for 200 days, how many tons of roots must he 

 produce? 



2. If a farmer keeps 40 mature sheep and wishes to feed each 2 

 lbs. of roots per day for 200 days, how many tons will he need? 



3. If roots are planted in rows 24 inches apart and a 2-lb. root 

 produced every 8 inches in the row, how many tons would be produced 

 per acre? 



Exercises: 



1. Visit several farms. 

 Observe how and where 

 seed corn is stored. Ob- 

 serve methods used to 

 shell seed corn, to grade 

 it, and to test it for germi- 

 nation. 



2. Soak a few kernels 

 of corn and separate each 

 into the three parts (1) 

 seed coat; (2) embryo or 

 germ; (3) food material. 

 See lesson "Parts of a ker- 

 nel of corn," pages 56 

 and 57. 



3. Examine carefully several ears of corn and see how many 

 rows of kernels on each ear. Do they all have the same number of 

 rows? Do the ears have an odd number of rows or an even number? 

 Examine carefully several ears of corn to see if the kernels are alike. 

 Are all kernels on an ear of corn the same shape? On what part 

 of the ear are the kernels most uniform? Are tip, butt, and middle 

 kernels alike? 



4. Examine a corn planter and see if there is any advantage in 

 having seed corn graded so that all kernels are of equal size. 



5. Arrange either at home or at school to test a number of ears 

 of corn. Which method do you like best for testing seed corn, the 

 rag doll, or the box tester? 



6. Go into a field of corn where the plants are two or more feet 

 high and with your hands dig carefully around a hill of corn to find 

 out which way the roots grow. Whether straight downward or out 

 sidewise. Do you think corn might be injured by deep cultivation? 

 If so, how? 



7. Try at least four different ways of hanging up seed corn to dry. 



Figure 41. — Sugar beets 



