72 AGRICULTURE FOR COMMON SCHOOLS 



and to save the moisture. The soil should be stirred after 

 every rain as soon as it is dry enough to work, for only by 

 keeping the top two or three inches loosened from the under 

 soil can the loss of moisture be prevented. Even if no rain 

 falls and the weeds are all killed, the soil needs to be stirred 

 about every week or ten days, for the soil mulch will lose its 

 effectiveness. Cultivation should be kept up until the plants 

 begin to tassel out. By this time the plants will be too large 



14. A HARROW TOOTH CULTIVATOR 



A good tool for preserving a soil mulch in tall com 



By courtesy of the Indiana Experiment Station 



to pass under the arch of the cultivator without breaking off. 

 Further cultivation can be given with a single horse and culti- 

 vator. However, this is scarcely ever done. 



The cultivation should be about two to three inches deep. 

 This depth has been found better for saving moisture than a 

 lesser depth. If the ground is stirred deeper than three inches 

 there is danger of disturbing the roots. When corn is about 

 a foot and a half high the roots extend entirely across the 

 middle from one row to the other, and deep cultivation will 

 break these off and thus check the growth of the plants. In 



