FIELD CROPS 410 



attained a height of 2 feet or more and have established their root 

 systems at the desired depth. This method of planting is especially 

 well adapted to deep soils where dry weather is likely to prevail dur- 

 ing the middle or latter part of the growing season. The lister, the 

 implement with which a large part of the corn is planted in the 

 Prairie States, fulfills the requirements of this method of planting. 



The lister is used for planting fields that have been thoroughly 

 plowed and also for planting directly in last year's cornfield or stub- 

 ble field without previous preparation. This latter practice, however, 

 is not recommended for shallow or stiff clay soils. 



The results of a majority of the comparative tests in the deep 

 soils of the States just west of the Mississippi River have been in favor 

 of listed rather than surface-planted corn, and the increased yield of 

 listed plats has been greatest in dry seasons. By planting in a deep 

 furrow, as is done with a lister, weeds in the corn rows are more easily 

 covered by cultivation, and as the furrow becomes filled by cultiva- 

 tion the root system is placed at a greater depth. The corn is thus 

 better enabled to endure drought, and the stalks are not so easily 

 blown down. On soils where corn can be listed without previous 

 preparation of the ground this method is profitable because of the 

 labor saved, but it can be successfully employed only on very deep, 

 loose soils. When the drill is attached to the lister one man with 

 three strong horses can do in one day all the work connected with the 

 planting of 7 acres of corn. The drill is so constructed that it can 

 be detached from the lister and used separately. By this means an 

 additional man and horse are required to drill the corn in the fur- 

 rows made by the lister. If the soil is stiff and heavy it should be well 

 plowed and brought into good condition for planting before the corn 

 is listed. A lister or a planter with lister attachments which lists two 

 rows at once and makes a mark to guide the driver on his return, 

 can then be employed. Disks or double mold-boards can be attached 

 to the various makes of planters and checkrowers, and thereby the 

 corn can be planted in the bottom of furrows below the general sur- 

 face of the field. For the reasons mentioned, this method of planting 

 would be an improvement for many localities where extensive areas 

 of corn are yearly planted by means of checkrowers which leave the 

 surface of planted fields smooth. 



Perhaps more corn is now planted by means of a checkrower 

 than any other device. This implement is adjustable, so that the spac- 

 ing of the rows and the distance between the plants or hills in the row 

 can be regulated to suit the requirements of the soil. By. means of a 

 wire chain stretched across a field one man and team can plant in 

 straight rows in both directions across the field 12 or 15 acres per day, 

 thus admitting of cross cultivation. Corn planted in this way can be 

 kept free from weeds and well cultivated without costly hoeing or the 

 cutting of weeds. A summary of numerous tests made by various 

 state experiment stations shows that there is practically no difference 

 in yield of corn planted in hills of several stalks each or drilled so 

 that the stalks stand separately in the rows, provided there is the 

 same number of stalks per acre in each case. The former system 



