46 AGRICULTURE 



sible to work spring plowing too much in this way. Much 

 harrowing packs the soil thoroughly, makes a loose bed for 

 the seed, and provides a fine mulch to prevent loss of 

 moisture through evaporation. Thorough disking or har- 

 rowing of fall plowing is necessary to loosen the soil and 

 prepare the bed for the seed. 



Killing the weeds. It is well to harrow just before 

 planting, as this kills the sprouting weeds, and allows the 

 corn to get started ahead of them. By far the easiest time 

 to kill weeds is when they are just starting, and a few 

 harrowings early in the season will save much trouble with 

 weeds later on. From two to four harrowings, or their 

 equivalent in disking, will usually pay on average fields. 



Time for planting. Corn should be planted as early 

 in the spring as the ground can be made ready and the 

 soil is warm enough. The average date of planting varies 

 from the eleventh of March in Florida to the twenty-sixth of 

 May in Maine. The first two weeks of May are the corn- 

 planting time in the states of the great middle region of 

 the United States. The average air temperature at which 

 corn is planted is about fifty-five degrees. The Indians had 

 a rule that corn should be planted when the leaves of the 

 maples were as large as squirrels' ears. 



Depth of planting. A mistake is often made in plant- 

 ing corn too deep. Some say that by planting deep they 

 give the roots a deep setting. This, however, is not the 

 case. For, no matter how deep the seed is planted, the 

 roots adapt themselves to conditions. If the planting is 

 too deep, the permanent roots finally start out nearer the 

 surface, and time has been lost and energy wasted in com- 

 pelling the plant to readjust itself. 



Corn should usually not be planted more than one and 

 a half inches deep, and frequently not more than an inch. 

 Especially in cold weather or in wet soils, should the plant- 



