2 AGRICULTURE 



large number of corn club boys in different states have pro- 

 duced as much as one hundred fifty bushels from an acre, 

 and not a few in the southern states have raised more than 

 two hundred bushels. One of the things we shall try to 

 learn in this book is how to raise a larger crop of corn from 

 our fields. 



1. The Corn Plant 



Corn belongs to the grass family ; that is, it is a member 

 of the same group of plants as timothy, wheat, rye, or blue- 

 grass. 



In order to study the corn plant itself, each of the class 

 will secure from a near-by field, or bring from home, a com- 

 plete stalk of corn, taking care to save as much of the 

 root as possible. Then use the text as a help in studying 

 the plant. 



The roots. Examining the roots, do you find them 

 tough and fibrous, or tender? Do the roots branch, or is 

 there a central tap root? At earing time the roots of a 

 vigorous plant may extend down several feet, and spread 

 out so that they meet the roots from other hills. The 

 ground of a corn-field may thus be completely filled with 

 roots. In dry seasons the roots strike deeper than in wet 

 seasons. Why? Would you expect the roots to run deeper 

 in a black porous soil, or in a hard clay subsoil? 



Are there roots branching from the lower one or two 

 joints of the stalk, thus starting from above the top of the 

 ground ? Roots growing in this way are called brace roots. 

 They act like the guy ropes of a tent pole, and hold the stalk 

 erect in the winds. If these are broken off by close plow- 

 ing, or destroyed by worms, the corn is easily blown down. 



The stem. How long is the stem ? What is its girth 

 just above the root? How many leaves has it? From 

 where do these start? How are they attached? Are the 



