MAIZE. 



MAIZE. 



spread the lime on the grass the year preced- 

 ing the tillage in corn, as then the vegetation 

 is greatly benefitted, and the lime has full time 

 to dissolve in considerable proportion and im- 

 pregnate the soil. Where the land is light 

 or sandy, shallow ploughing is frequently 

 practised and much less labour is required to 

 prepare the ground for the crop. In all cases, 

 however, where there is a retentive clay below 

 the soil, no doubt can exist of the propriety of 

 stirring the earth as deeply as practicable, first 

 by the common plough, and next by the sub- 

 soil plough, which loosens the earth or clay 

 below the furrow run by the common plough, 

 without turning it up. This effectual and deep 

 breaking up of the earth allows the water to 

 penetrate quickly into the soil charged with 

 all its fertilizing gases and salts, which would 

 otherwise be rapidly dispersed if exposed to 

 the open atmosphere. 



Season for Ploughing. With regard to the 

 best timd for ploughing, this must depend much 

 upon the character of the soil. Late fall or 

 winter ploughing has been thought useful in 

 turning up and exposing to perish, the grubs 

 and other insects which have retreated below 

 the surface for winter quarters ; but in Penn- 

 sylvania this practice is now generally aban- 

 doned in favour of spring ploughing. 



The roller, when used, must be drawn in the 

 direction of the furrows, and never crosswise. 

 Then follows the drag-harrow, in the same di- 

 rection, being the last instrument which, on 

 flushed ground, is employed preparatory to 

 planting. The spikes of this implement should 

 never be set so deep as to reach and drag up 

 the sod, an observation which will apply to all 

 other implements called in requisition during 

 the working of the crop. The harrowing 

 should be continued until the surface of the 

 inverted sward is completely broken up and 

 pulverized. 



In the Middle States, it is a very general 

 custom to prepare the ground for corn by a 

 method called listing or double furrowing. 

 This consists of ploughing so as at first to turn 

 two furrow-slices together, leaving a middle 

 space which is subsequently ploughed out by 

 turning an additional furrow on each side. 

 This places the ground in narrow lands or 

 ridges, consisting of four furrow-slices with 

 deep, intervening trenches. The width from 

 the middle of one land to the other is generally 

 about 4 feet. In signing out for planting, a 

 plough is run across these narrow lands, so as 

 to strike out rows generally 4 feet apart. The 

 plough which performs this cross-ploughing, 

 is immediately followed by a boy who drops 4, 

 5, or 7 grains of corn directly opposite the 

 middle of each of the ridges, and the operation 

 of planting is completed by a man who covers 

 the seed with a hoe. 



Fanners generally agree that corn should be 

 planted as early in the spring as the weather 

 will permit, and some of the best are not even 

 afraid of having the young shoots nipped off 

 by frest. The usual time of planting in the 

 Floridas is early in March, whilst in Massa- 

 chusetts it cannot be done before the middle of 

 May, facts which show the great range of 

 climate in the United States. 

 748 



Mr. Lorain, one of the best authorities upon 

 this and most other agricultural subjects upon 

 which he has treated, says, When corn is 

 planted very early, it is commonly severely 

 affected by frost ; so much so, that many of the 

 plants are cut off by the ground. This is un- 

 questionably an injury to which no judicious 

 farmer would expose the plant, if the advan- 

 tages obtained by very early planting could be 

 had by planting later. Still if the roots re- 

 main unhurt, they are of consequence esta- 

 blished, and very soon repair the injury done 

 above the soil, after the frost ceases to act on 

 the plants. Of course they take the lead, and 

 will maintain their superiority over later plant- 

 ed corn. The ears also fill and ripen much 

 better in northerly climates from this practice. 



The shooting and filling of them take place 

 when the heat of the sun is much greater; 

 and when less cloudy, cold, dripping weather 

 prevails, and the crop is nothing like so liable 

 to be injured by frost. The grounds are also 

 sooner ready for crops sown in the fall. This 

 mode of management will often enable the 

 cultivator to grow the large and more product- 

 ive corns, in climates where they have been 

 abandoned, from observing that they did not 

 ripen when planted at the usual time. 



When I introduced the large yellow gourd- 

 seed corn, from seed procured from Hunting- 

 don county, every farmer here ridiculed the 

 idea of attempting to grow corn of this descrip- 

 tion. They considered the soil and climate 

 hostile to the growth even of the smaller corns, 

 and but little was planted. As they waited 

 until the earth was warmed before they plant- 

 ed, the crops were frequently either destroyed, 

 or greatly injured by frost. (Pract. Husb.} 



In Pennsylvania, corn generally forms the 

 first crop of the regular rotation, the sod being 

 ploughed without manure, except the occa- 

 sional addition of a light dressing of plaster 

 of Paris (about one bushel per acre) or a full 

 coat of lime (50 to 100 bushels per acre). The 

 plan of listing and ploughing out, so common 

 in the Southern and Middle States is not fol- 

 lowed by Pennsylvania farmers, who flush up 

 the ground so as to 'present a uniform surface. 



Planting. After rolling, and then harrowing 

 well, the rows- are struck out very shallow, and 

 the corn is planted in hills 3, 4, 4, or 5 feet 

 apart, or dropped in rows from 3 to 5 feet 

 asunder, so as to leave the stalks, when thinned 

 out, about 1 or 2 feet apart. In this last case 

 the tillage has of course to be conducted in the 

 direction of the rows, and never cross-wise, as 

 is practised when the grain is in hills at regu- 

 lar distances. The distance of the corn hills 

 or plants apart must be regulated by the kind 

 of corn to be planted, and the nature of the 

 soil. When the growth is high, and the soil 

 rich, the rows should be farther apart than 

 where the growth is low, as is the case with 

 the Northern varieties, which may be planted 3 

 feet apart. 



Whenever manure can be spared for the 

 corn crop, it will always make a good return 

 for maize cannot well be too highly manured. 

 If the supply be sufficient, it may be spread 

 broadcast upon the land previous to ploughing- 

 or, what is better, spread upon ground that has 



