FARM CROPS 



173 



abandoned. The only reason that so much good food is 

 being left to decay in the field is because so many people 

 are ignorant of the feeding value of 

 this stover. 



EXPERIMENT 



To show the effect of cultivation on the 

 yield of corn, let the pupils lay off five plats 

 in some convenient field. Each plat need 

 consist of only two rows about twenty feet 

 long. Treat each plat as follows : 



Plat i. No cultivation : let weeds grow. 



Plat 2. Mulch with straw. 



Plat 3. Shallow cultivation : not deeper 

 than two inches and at least five times 

 during the growing season. 



Plat 4. Deep cultivation : at least four 

 inches deep, so as to injure and tear out 

 some of the roots (this is a common 

 method). 



Plat 5. Root pruning : ten inches from 

 the stalk and six inches deep, prune the 

 roots with a long knife. Cultivate five times during the season. 



Observe plats during summer, and at husking time note results. 



FIG. 161 



SECTION XXXVI PEANUTS 



This plant is rich in names ; the terms ground pea, 

 goober, earthnut, and pindar, as well as the more general 

 name of peamit, being applied to it locally. The peanut 

 is a true legume, and, like other legumes, bears nitrogen- 

 gathering tubercles upon its roots. The fruit, not a real 

 nut but rather a kind of pea or bean, develops from the 



