60 FIELD CROPS 



what soddy, so that considerable preparation is required to 

 make a good, hospitable seed bed for corn. 



Sod land is best prepared for corn if it can be plowed in 

 the fall, so that there is some opportunity for it to decompose 

 before the crop is planted. There is also time for the part 

 turned by the plow to settle sufficiently to establish connec- 

 tion with the subsoil, so that in case of a shortage of moisture 

 the supply in the lower layers of soil may be drawn up to 

 the plants growing in the furrow slice. The freezing and 

 thawing of the winter season tends to break down the 

 unusual porous structure to its natural condition. 



Land plowed in the fall should be disked or harrowed 

 early in the spring to check the evaporation of moisture 

 from the surface. Harrowing aids in warming the soil by 

 checking the evaporation. It also causes many weed seeds 

 to germinate. The young plants can then be killed by later 

 harro wings before the crop is planted. IMuch of the advan- 

 tage in plowing corn land in the fall may be lost by neglect- 

 ing to harrow early in the spring. If the land is left rough 

 and has settled clear to the surface, as is usuall}^ the case 

 in the spring with fall-plowed land, evaporation goes on 

 very rapidly; and, as corn is not usually planted for several 

 weeks after the ground thaws in the spring, there is oppor- 

 tunity for the loss of much moisture. It is desirable to disk or 

 harrow this land at least once every week till planting time. 

 In preparing a seed bed for corn the object should be to have 

 the lower part of the furrow slice thoroughly pulverized but 

 compact enough to permit the free movement of water by 

 capillarity, while the upper part should be loose enough to 

 retard the evaporation of moisture somewhat by preventing 

 its easy rise to the surface, where it will be quickly drawn out 

 by the sun and wind. 



An additional advantage of fall plowing, especially in the 

 case of sod land, is that many insects are destroyed which 

 might otherwise cause considerable injury to the crop. 



