96 PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURE 



far down as 2 meters. But many of the roots grow near 

 the surface, and the deeper roots alone cannot keep the 

 plants well supplied. Because the roots go deep into 

 the soil, and so loosen and open the deeper layers of 

 earth, maize increases the water-holding power of the 

 soil. It has been found in Dakota that in a wet sea- 

 son wheat produces about as well on ground which 

 produced wheat the year before as on ground which 

 produced maize ; but in a dry season land which had pro- 

 duced wheat the year before yielded only 5 bushels an 

 acre, while wheat following maize yielded 24.6 bushels. 



The Soil Required. Maize demands a deep, and not 

 exceedingly heavy, soil. It will never yield good crops 

 where standing water comes nearly to the surface of the 

 soil. Its soil must contain some sand. Maize should 

 not be planted on very poor soil; because, while some 

 plants will yield poor crops in such places, maize will 

 usually yield none at all. Maize takes much potash and 

 phosphorus from the soil. It has been found in Alabama 

 that by plowing under some leguminous crop, as beans 

 or peas, the following crop of maize could be increased 

 by at least 50 per cent and sometimes by 100 per cent. 

 The plants of legumes contain the minerals that maize 

 uses for food. 



Fertilizers. In an experiment in Cebu, well-cultivated 

 plants yielded, without fertilizing, 38.12 hektoliters per 

 hektar; fertilizing with manure and bone ash raised the 

 yield to 57.32 hi. The average crop in Cebu, with 

 ordinary cultivation, is only 10 hi. 



