A REVOLUTION IN CORN-GROWING 91 



Summer-sown corn, for the present purpose, may 

 be taken to mean corn sown in July or August. 

 Autumn-sown corn means that put down in Sep- 

 tember, and early winter corn that put down in 

 October or November. 



SUMMER- SOWN CORN 



The earlier the corn is sown the greater is the need 

 to pay attention to the conditions mentioned above. 

 Here we come to a very interesting point. In 

 practice, summer and autumn corn will be usually 

 sown on a second or third year's seed lay. Now, 

 for the ploughing and cultivation of land in late June, 

 July, and often early August, it will be found that a 

 considerable rainfall is necessary. 



In practice, the summer rainfall very often means 

 hanging up very important hay harvesting operations, 

 and the result is that the whole staff of horses and 

 most of the men are idle, or if not idle the latter are 

 turned on to what has become known in farming 

 phraseology as '■ fill-up jobs " (white-washing is a 

 very favourite one). 



These periods of idleness, or semi-idleness, result 

 in a very great loss to the farmer. It is exactly 

 under such conditions that the summer corn 

 ploughing and cultivation can be proceeded with 

 under ideal conditions. The days' are long. The 

 soil turns up very friable, and does not require half 

 the harrowing necessary in spring-time to cover in 

 the seed when broadcasted, or to prepare a seed-bed 

 when the corn is drilled. 



Further, possibly due to the more rapid growth 

 which corn makes in its early stages when sown at 

 the time mentioned, or because the pests are less 

 active, little trouble is experienced from wire- worms 

 or leather- jacket grubs. 



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