418 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



seasons, and then for one season give a plowing at about half the 

 depth of the deepest plowing. The plow should be so adjusted that 

 it will turn all the soil and leave the surface smooth. In every in- 

 stance spring-plowed land should be pulverized the same day it is 

 plowed. It is well to have the farm mapped, the various fields num- 

 bered, and records kept of the annual treatment and production of 

 each field. 



Planting. Throughout all the corn-growing sections of the 

 country it is the general experience that corn planted early most 

 often gives the best yield. Occasionally later plantings yield best, 

 but they are exceptions. Underground drainage will prove most prof- 

 itable in the end, but as this is rather expensive it is sometimes desir- 

 able to use low, flat land for corn before it is possible to have it tile- 

 drained. Sometimes such fields are plowed in small strips or "lands" 

 4 to 6 feet wide, and a row of corn is planted on the ridge or back- 

 furrow of every land. This places the plants above surface water, 

 and for this reason is satisfactory during wet weather, but the high 

 situation of the stalks is a disadvantage during dry weather. 



A little more care can be exercised to advantage as regards 

 dropping a precise number of kernels and covering them with mellow 

 soil when the planting is done by hand, but the labor saved by the use 

 of planters is so great that for profitable corn growing their use is 

 indispensable. Moreover, if the seed bed is in proper condition any 

 good planter can be made to cover corn as satisfactorily as it can be 

 done with a hoe ; and, if seed ears having kernels of uniform size be 

 selected and the small and misshaped kernels at the extremities of 

 the ears be rejected, good modern corn-planting machines can be 

 made to drop with sufficient accuracy for practical purposes. How- 

 ever, the yield depends to such an extent upon the proper number 

 of stalks and their even distribution that too much stress can hardly 

 be placed upon the necessity for selecting seed ears having kernels 

 of uniform size and plates for the planter that will drop the right 

 number at the required distance. Every spring the planter should 

 be thoroughly tested and adjusted until it will drop accurately the 

 seed to be used. The kernels of different kinds of corn vary so much 

 in size and shape that it is necessary to adjust the planter to each kind 

 of corn to be planted. These are some of the many essentials that 

 can be attended to before the rush of planting time arrives. 



The proper depth to plant must be governed by the quality and 

 moisture of the soil. If it is a stiff, heavy clay containing plenty of 

 moisture at planting time, 1 inch is sufficiently deep ; but if it is a 

 light, open, dry soil, 3 or 4 inches is a satisfactory depth. If the corn 

 is planted deeper than 4 inches much of the food supply stored in 

 the seed will be consumed before the young plant can reach the sur- 

 face and expand its leaves. Plants can not be made to send their 

 roots deeply into the soil by planting the seed deeply. They can bet- 

 ter be fortified against dry weather by planting the seed in a furrow, 

 covering it slightly, and then gradually cultivating the furrow full 

 of soil as the plants grow. This requires some care, however, as the 

 furrow should not be filled to any great depth until the plants have 



