122 FARM CROPS 



depth of plowing depends, of course, upon the char- 

 acter of the soil and the locality. 



After the soil has been plowed, the matter of 

 thoroughly fining it is highly important. The disk 

 has given excellent service in the corn belt, also the 

 Acme harrow. The roller can seldom be used, as 

 this packs the ground too much, especially if plant- 

 ing is followed by a heavy rain or two. Plan to 

 have the upper soil as mellow as possible, so as to 

 give the seed an early and a strong start. In many 

 parts of the country it has been found exceedingly 

 profitable to disk the corn ground before plowing. 

 This forms a soil mulch and prevents rapid drying 

 out. 



Whether to plow in the fall or spring will de- 

 pend upon the character of the land. If the field 

 happens to be hard and cloddy for any reason it is 

 very desirable to fall plow. Frequently, however, 

 fall-plowed land has to be replowed again in the 

 spring. Many people plow in the autumn and early 

 winter, as they then have more time for this kind 

 of work. It lightens the farmer's labor in the 

 early spring. Where soils do not wash, fall plow- 

 ing is very satisfactory. 



Selection of Seed. When the ground has been 

 prepared in this thorough manner, the next im- 

 portant step is the selection of the seed. In choos- 

 ing seed corn the important point is to get ears of 

 the desired type and kernels that have a high state 

 of vitality. If the corn has been preserved care- 

 fully during the winter and kept in a room where 

 there is plenty of circulation and if it had been 

 gathered early enough in the fall there ought to be 

 no trouble about poor seed. Choose ears of medium 

 size and wedge-shaped kernels. Shell the butts 



