168 THIi SOILS AND CROPS OF THE FARM. 



Soil and Manare. — A large proportion of the 

 Indian corn crop is grown on the drift soil to which it 

 is so well adapted. For its best growth Indian corn 

 requires a soil that is easily di'ained and does not bake 

 during drouth. The water table should be some dis- 

 tance below the surface, say at least three feet, but 

 the capillary attraction should be such as to bring the 

 water up freely during the period of fastest growth. 



The corn plant uses large quantities of water dur- 

 ing its growth, especially during July and August, 

 and unless the physical conditions of the soil with 

 reference to soil and water are the best it is apt to suf- 

 fer from a lack of water, or, in other words, from 

 drouth. 



A large supply of humus increases the capillary 

 power of the soil and it is probably one reason why 

 stable manure is generally found beneficial. 



The corn plant requires a fertile soil and through- 

 out the region where the bulk of the crop is grown it 

 is planted on the most fertile soil. Stable manure is 

 more frequently applied to land to be put into corn 

 than to any other. Grass and clover are usually fol- 

 lowed by corn. Throughout the main corn belt a 

 good rotation is corn two years, oats pr wheat one 

 year, timothy and clover three years. In some local- 

 ities in the eastern^ states the rotation is : corn, oats, 

 wheat and clover with timothy, each one year, the 

 stable manure being applied to the wheat. 



The use of stable manure, and the rotation of crops 

 in connection' with stock raising, are the chief means of 

 keeping the land in good condition to grow corn. 

 Generally speaking, commercial fertilizers have not 

 been profitably applied to corn. This is almost 

 sweepingly true west of the Allegheny Mountains. 



