CHAPTER XVI. 

 Corn for Silage. 

 In the preparation of land for corn we must take Preparing the 



t^ t' , . , . . Land for Corn. 



into consideration that this plant is, to a certain 

 extent, semi-tropical, and is better adapted to a 

 warmer climate than ours. However, by preparing 

 the soil with a \'iew to keeping it warm during the 

 growing season, we may expect good results. In 

 the first place, the land (well-rotted clover sod) must 

 be either naturally or artificially drained, and 

 thoroughly cultivated and manured the preceding 

 fall, and ribbed the same as for roots. If the land 

 was manured in the winter it will be necessar\' first 

 in the spring to gang plow it shallow, say three or 

 four inches deep, so as to incorporate the manure 

 with the surface soil. Then harrow and cultivate 

 thoroughly before sowing it; if a clay subsoil, loosen 

 not less than ten inches deep. Then harrow and 

 cultivate until the land is in fine tilth. 



In Central and Northern Ontario, as a rule, the Time and 

 best results are obtained by sowing silage corn the com to Grow 

 last week in May. There are many varieties to °' '*^^' 

 choose from. When making a selection, every farmer 

 will have to be governed according to soil and 

 locality. In Southern Ontario a later and larger 

 variety can be grown than is possible further north. 

 It is useless to grow a variety for silage which will 

 not be in a firm, dough state by the 15th or 20th 

 of September. The flint varieties are invariably 

 earlier than the dent varieties. For Northern Ontario 

 I would name North Dakota and Compton's Early, 

 both of which are flint varieties. The former is 

 white and the latter yellow. From the roots of these 



