MAIZE 



101 



at the same level ; this keeps the soil from washing away 

 badly, and makes cultivation easier. 



Drills. A drill is a row of single plants, at uniform 

 distances apart. A machine which plants seed in this 



way is also called a drill. If 



maize is drilled into good 

 ground, the rows should be i 

 meter apart, and the plants 

 35 cm apart in each row. 

 The directions just given are 

 for planting maize for its fruit. 

 If it is planted for fodder, the 

 plants should be about one- 

 third as far apart. 



Cultivation. It is very im- 

 portant that maize should be 

 cultivated the first time be- 

 fore the ground has time to 

 become. hard, and before the 

 weeds get well started; this will be while the maize is 

 still very young. Figure 77 shows a field left too long 

 before its first cultivation. Maize does not require deep 

 cultivation unless the soil is bacllv in need of airing. Five 



* O 



cm is usually better than a greater depth. Shallow culti- 

 vation is not only easier, but it is likely to yield a 25 per 

 cent larger crop than very deep cultivation. If the 

 weather is dry, frequent shallow cultivation helps the soil 

 to retain its water. 



In wet seasons, cultivation four times during the 



FlG. 77. Maize in the Philippine Nor- 

 mal School garden neglected 



