6 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 356 



Area I — Elevations up to 500 feet 



Maturing Medium Early Dents and Late Flints. This includes the Connecticut 

 Valley, part of Essex County, southwestern sections of Plymouth, Bristol, Nor- 

 folk counties, valley sections of southeastern Worcester County, and possibly 

 the Cape. Those sections bordering Rhode Island are probably most favored. 

 The varieties included in this group will produce good yields of both grain and 

 stover. 



Area II — Elevations from 500 to 800 feet 



Maturing Early Dents and Medium Early Flints. This includes the remaining 

 lower areas east of Worcester, except for local frost pockets, one of which may 

 center around Mansfield. Included also are the intermediate elevations between 

 Worcester and the Connecticut Valley, those intermediate elevations bordering 

 west of the Connecticut Valley, and the valley sections of Berkshire County. 

 (Williamstown and Sheffield are probably most favored.) Varieties adapted 

 to these sections will consistently produce good yields of grain but only fair yields 

 of stover. 



Area III— Elevations from 800 to 1,500 feet 



Maturing Early Flints and Very Early Dents. This includes the higher plateau 

 regions of Worcester and the western counties with the exception of the two 

 higher mountain range lands of the Berkshire Hills. Only fair yields of grain 

 can be expected from varieties which will mature in these areas. Stover yields 

 will alwavs be low. 



Growing Corn for Grain and Silage 



The Dent varieties more commonly grown for grain over much of the Corn 

 Belt as well as in the states like Pennsylvania and New Jersey are included in 

 the group of "Late Grain and Silage Varieties." In favorable seasons, the better 

 yielding strains will produce excellent yields of both grain and stover in Area I. 

 In unfavorable seasons, they can be used only for silage and green or dry forage. 



When these varieties are used for silage, the same distinction as to areas may 

 apply, except that the relatively larger, later maturing varieties may be grown 

 to produce more tonnage since maturity beyond the hard roasting ear stage 

 is not required. To grow varieties too late for proper ear development, however, 

 means handling excess water and results in somewhat inferior ensilage. Late 

 maturing varieties from the Southern States fall into this group. They will 

 produce large quantities of stover but little if any grain. If varieties are grown 

 for silage which mature earlier than necessary, maximum silage yields will be 

 needlessly sacrificed. 



Fitting the Corn Land 



Selecting Corn Land. Corn grows well on sod land after plowing. Cultivation 

 while growing the crop facilitates the rotting of the sod in preparation for later 

 reseeding. Corn is often continued on the same land two or more years if the 

 area suitable for corn is limited by reason of poor drainage or excessive stoniness 

 of other land on the farm. If a cash crop like potatoes is also grown, it usually 

 does better following corn rather than sod, partly because grubs and wire worms 

 are usually worse the first season after sod and may cause serious injury to the 

 cash crop. Heavy and poorly drained soils are least satisfactory for corn in most 

 seasons. 



