70 FIELD CROPS 



who advocate drilling corn claim that less cultivation is 

 required, and, because the corn is better distributed, larger 

 yields are obtained. The facts do not seem to bear out this 

 contention, though on specially clean soil and in years when 

 the rainfall is normal or more than normal, slightly larger 

 yields have been obtained from drilling. In a large number 

 of tests conducted by several experiment stations, however, 

 there has not been sufficient difference in yield to warrant 

 advocating one method above the other. 



One of the objects in growing corn is to clean the land of 

 weeds. This certainly can be more thorough^ accomplished 

 if the corn is planted in checked rows and cultivated both 

 ways than if planted in drills; on this account, it is deemed 

 advisable, on most soils, to plant in this manner. It is 

 also easier to husk hill corn than drill corn; but, if it is to be 

 fed out of the bundle, the advantage of the larger number of 

 small ears is in favor of drilling. On rich soils, such as clover 

 sod, that are comparativelj^ free from weeds, drilling corn 

 may give very good satisfaction, especially if the land is 

 thoroughly prepared before the corn is planted. On hilly or 

 broken land it is also often advisable to plant in drills to 

 prevent washing of the soil and to avoid the difficulty of short 

 turns in cultivation. It is generall}^ better, however, to 

 plant corn so that it may be cultivated both ways. 



82. Thickness of Planting. The general practice in 

 planting corn is to plant in hills 44 inches apart, with three 

 kernels to the hill; or, if planted in drills, to use about the 

 same quantity of seed. It has been shown by numerous 

 tests throughout the corn belt that a stand of three stalks to 

 the hill, as a rule, gives about as large yields as can be 

 expected. Where tests have been made with two, three, 

 and four stalks to the hill, the yields have been slightly 

 larger with four stalks than with three, and much larger 

 with four or three than with only two. From these expe- 

 riments, it is quite safe to plan on at least three stalks to the 



