RATE OF PLANTING 71 



Time of Planting. The following table shows the time of 

 planting in the United States * : 



Time of Planting Corn 



The planting period is much longer in the southern States than 

 in the North. 



Experiments have shown that the very earliest or latest plantings 

 in any particular region do not give as good yields as intermediate 

 plantings. The Illinois Station made a number of plantings from 

 April 28 to June 9. The corn planted in May averaged 73 bushels 

 per acre, while the remaining plantings, one in April and two in 

 June, yielded only 63 bushels per acre. 



Depth of Planting. There is no object in planting corn deeper 

 than is necessary to insure good germination. Experiments in a 

 number of States with corn planted from one to six inches deep, have 

 seldom shown advantage for the very deep plantings. In heavy, 

 cold or wet soils from one to two inches is best, while in lighter and 

 dry soils two to three inches is best. 



Some have thought that the corn would root deeper if planted 

 deep. The plant, however, usually forms its first joint about one 

 inch below the surface, no matter what the depth of planting, and the 

 roots are developed from that point (Fig. 27). 



Rate of Planting. The customary rate of planting varies from 

 3000 to 4000 plants per acre in the Gulf States to 12,000 to 15,000 

 in the northern States. The plants are larger in the South and the 

 soil is often poor, but the size of plants decreases to the north and 

 . the customary rate of planting correspondingly increases. The fol- 

 lowing table illustrates: 



1 U. S. Yearbook, 1910, p. 491. 



