CORN 



167 



taught to the colonists." 1 Most of the corn in the corn- 

 belt is planted 3 feet 8 inches apart each way, with two to 

 four kernels per hill. In the more humid parts, three stalks 

 per hill is considered best. In the semi-arid regions or on 

 poor land, two stalks is considered best. In the South, 

 where the season is long and the soil often poor, much 

 thinner planting is better. The rows may be placed five 

 feet apart and a row of cowpeas planted between for soil 

 improvement. 



Four kernels in a hill seem to give the same yield as 

 if the same number are planted in drills, one kernel in a 

 place. If rowed both 

 ways, as is done by the 

 check-row planter, the 

 corn may be cultivated 

 both ways and so kept 

 clean much more easily. 

 The check-row planters 

 are not adapted to very 

 uneven land or to fields 

 that contain trees. For 

 these reasons, the corn in the northeastern states is mostly 

 drilled. The higher cost of the check-row planter is also 

 a factor. There are, however, many level farms that might 

 profitably use this machine. 



In the semi-arid regions, a considerable part of the 

 corn is planted with a lister. The lister is a sort of double 

 plow that opens up a deep furrow and plants the corn in 

 the bottom. As the corn grows, the cultivation gradually 

 fills the ditch. Corn planted in this way in dry regions 



1 T. F. Hunt, Cereals in America, p. 231 



FIG. 76. A check-row corn-planter. Plants two 

 rows at once and rows the corn both ways 



