CORN CULTURE 47 



ing be shallow. Careful experiments have been made by 

 the agricultural colleges of many states as to the best depth 

 for planting corn, and they have found that almost uni- 

 versally the shallow planting is best. The only exception is 

 for a very dry soil, or a dry season. 



TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION 



1. Have you seen corn planted in a seed bed that was 

 hard and full of clods? Did the corn do well? Have you 

 seen corn with water standing about the roots? How did 

 the corn look ? What caused this appearance ? . 



2. What percentage of corn land in your neighborhood 

 is plowed in the fall? Why is not more of it plowed in the 

 fall? Ask your father about this. Which is the busier 

 season, fall or spring? In which season is it necessary 

 that the work be done at just such a time? 



3. Have you seen ground plowed when it was wet? 

 Did it bake in clods? Do the farmers you know harrow 

 their spring plowing the day it is plowed ? Have you seen 

 weeds get a good start ahead of the corn? How can this 

 be prevented? 



4. Have you seen spring plowing planted when the 

 soil was so loose that the planter wheels settled several 

 inches in the ground? What is the danger in planting a 

 seed bed in this condition? \Vhat should be done to it? 

 Suppose spring plowing has been rained on until it is very 

 hard. What is the best way to prepare a seed bed for 

 planting? 



5. What is the earliest date of planting in your vicin- 

 ity? The average date? The latest safe date for common 

 varieties of corn? 



6. Make the following test to discover the best depth 

 for planting corn: Put one inch of dirt in the bottom of a 

 quart glass jar. On this, near the side, plant a kernel of 

 corn, and cover it with an inch of dirt. On this layer plant 

 another kernel, and so on until the lower kernel is covered 

 with six inches of dirt, and the top with one inch. Place the 

 kernels so that one will not be directly above another. Let 

 the seeds sprout, and watch the growth for ten days. From 



