CHAPTER VII. 



SILAGE CROPS. 



Indian Corn. Indian Corn is, as has already been stated, the 

 main silage crop in this country, and is likely to always remain so. 

 Before explaining the filling of the silo and the making of silage, 

 it will be well, therefore, to state briefly the main conditions which 

 govern the production of a large crop of corn for the silo, and^o 

 examine which varieties of corn are best adapted for silage 

 making. 



Soils best adapted to corn culture and preparation of land. 

 The soils best adapted to the culture of Indian corn are well- 

 drained medium soils, loams or sandy loams, in a good state of 

 fertility. Corn will give best results coming after clover. The 

 preparation of the land for growing corn is the same whether ear 

 corn or forage is the object. Fall plowing is practiced by many 

 successful corn growers. The seed is planted on carefully prepared 

 ground at such a time as convenient and advisable. Other things 

 being equal, the earlier the planting the better, after the danger of 

 frost is ordinarily over. "The early crop may fail, but the late 

 crop is almost sure to fail." After planting, the soil should be kept 

 pulverized and thoroughly cultivated.' Shallow cultivation will 

 ordinarily give better results than deep cultivation, as the former 

 method suffices to destroy the weeds and to preserve the soil 

 moisture, which are the essential points sought in cultivating crops. 

 The cultivation should be no more frequent than is necessary for 

 the complete eradication of weeds. It has been found that the yield 

 of corn may be decreased by too frequent, as well as by insufficient 

 cultivation. The general rule may be given to cultivate as often, 

 but no oftener, than is necesary to kill the weeds, or keep the 

 soil pulverized. 



The cultivator may be started to advantage as soon as the 

 young plants break through the surface, and the soil kept stirred 

 and weeds destroyed, until cultivation is no longer practicable. 



Varieties of corn for the silo. The best corn for the silo, in any 

 locality, is that variety which will be reasonably sure to mature 

 before frost, and which produces a large amount of foliage and 



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