68 THE OLIVER PLOW BOOK 



Corn also requires in the vicinity of three thousand 

 degrees of heat to complete the crop from start to finish. 

 Anyone can readily see that if three thousand degrees 

 of heat were applied in one stroke to the field what would 

 happen to the corn. This amount of heat must be 

 scattered over the period through which the corn grows. 



This heat has to do with the development of plant 

 food, its conservation, and the ability of the corn plant 

 to partake of that food. It also has to do with the 

 amount of moisture that falls and is consumed. Unless 

 ground is in physical condition for heat to work to the 

 best advantage in doing its labor and also to enable 

 plant food to develop as the plants need it a maximum 

 crop cannot be grown regardless of how fertile the land 

 may be. 



A study of soil conditions has revealed that ground, 

 mellow and friable, to a depth of at least six inches is 

 required at the start for bringing about the condition 

 mentioned. Seven and eight inches have proven to be 

 better. This naturally means that this portion of the 

 ground cannot be full of large and coarse dead vegetation 

 in a half decayed form because it interferes with the 

 upward trend of moisture which is necessary if the corn 

 plant is to receive the proper amount of moisture by 

 capillarity for the manufacture of plant food. 



It naturally follows from this that ground covered 

 with dead vegetation for planting corn should be plowed 

 deep and the vegetation buried deep in the ground so as 

 to interfere as little as possible with the upward trend of 

 moisture. 



It is particularly desirable in spring plowing to bury 

 this trash deep enough so that it will not pull out and 

 interfere with after cultivation. Burying cornstalks 



