18 AGRICULTURE 



the late cultivation is of very great advantage, because 

 it keeps a loose soil mulch, which does much to prevent 

 the evaporation of the sub-surface moisture. 



TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION 



1. Examine three different farmers' corn-fields, and 

 see if you can tell whether the plowing was deep or shal- 

 low. What was the character of the cultivation of the 

 crop? Are the fields weedy? If so, what was the cause? 



2. Suppose that next season proves to be hot and dry. 

 How should the corn in your vicinity be cultivated? Sup- 

 pose the season should be wet. How, then, should the 

 corn be cultivated? 



3. Why does keeping the soil pulverized and loose on 

 top prevent loss of moisture? What causes the corn to 

 look yellow and stunted when the ground becomes baked? 



4. Suppose a careless boy covers up five hills out of 

 every hundred in plowing a field of forty acres of corn. 

 The crop yields 38 bushels to the acre. How much would 

 it have yielded if he had covered up none? How much did 

 his carelessness cost if the corn is worth 50 cents a bushel? 



6. Corn Enemies 



Plants, like animals, are subject to certain diseases. 

 Corn is usually a healthy plant, and not affected by so many 

 diseases as some of the other crops. The most serious 

 enemies of corn are various insects, such as the corn root- 

 worm, the corn-root aphis or louse, the wireworm, the 

 cutworm, and the ear-worm. 



The corn root-worm. This pest is responsible for 

 greater loss to the corn crop than any other cause except 

 poor seed, and probably inflicts more damage than all other 

 insects put together. Because the root-worm is very small 

 and does its work underground, it is seldom seen, and 

 probably could not be identified by many farmers to whom 



