THE MOST IMPORTANT CEREALS 



161 



vania about the first week of May, and in the Gulf states about the 

 middle of February to the beginning of March. The Indian method of 

 planting maize was to put four grains in a hill four feet each way and they 

 taught this method to the white settlers. The usual method in the North 

 Atlantic states is to plant in drills; in the North 'Central states the practice 

 is divided, but the larger part is planted in hills, while in the South, it 

 is usually planted in hills in the lowlands while in hill country maize is 

 drilled, so that all cultivation may be at right angles to the slope of the hill 

 which method prevents washing. The cultivation of maize during its 

 early development prevents the growth of weeds and stirs the soil. The 

 destruction of weeds is a most important matter as they compete seriously 



FIG. 70. Three-horse corn-stalk cutter which cuts two rows. (After Hartley, C. P.: 

 Harvesting and Storing Corn. Farmers' Bulletin 313, 1907, p. 27.) 



with the corn plants. Deep cultivation should be practiced early in the 

 season in order to conserve the soil moisture. Shallow cultivation should 

 be pursued late in the season, as it saves the feeding corn roots. The 

 frequency of cultivation will depend chiefly on the surface condition of 

 the soil and the presence of weeds. Improved machinery is used for the 

 'cutting of the corn crop (Fig. 70). , 



Rotation. Most farmers in Indiana maintain a general rotation of 

 corn one year, wheat or oats one year, and hay or pasture one or two years. 

 Some timothy is grown, but most of the hay is clover. In Mercer County, 

 New Jersey, south of Trenton, the rotation is corn one year, potatoes one 

 year, rye or wheat one year and hay one or two years. About 35 per 



cent, of the farmers grow crimson clover and rye, or vetch, as cover crops 

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