GROWING CULTIVATED CROPS IN DRY AREAS 273 



reached the surface of the ground. Even though further 

 cultivation should be omitted the ground is so far made 

 capable of retaining moisture. 



In all areas where the land has been cultivated for a 

 term of years, corn will generally be grown after a crop 

 of small grain. When it is thus grown, the aim should 

 be to plow the ground in the fall, and as early as possible. 

 It may be advantageous, as when there is some moisture 

 in the subsoil, to double disc it as soon as the grain has 

 been removed. The plowing should be deep and the 

 harrow should immediately follow. Subsoil packing of 

 ground thus plowed will seldom be necessary. In the 

 spring, as soon as the season will admit of it, the land 

 should be disced and harrowed, and, if necessary, should 

 be stirred once or twice again with the harrow at in- 

 tervals before the corn is planted. If the land cannot be 

 plowed until spring, the aim should be to plow it early 

 and deeply. Subsurface packing will then be in order 

 to firm the seed bed below, should moisture in the ground 

 be lacking at such a time. Planting corn on spring-- 

 plowed land in dry areas is usually much more hazard- 

 ous than on autumn-plowed land. 



If farmyard manure is applied, this is best done be- 

 fore the land is plowed, whether in the autumn or the 

 spring, and by a manure spreader. If the manure is 

 fresh and has much litter admixed with it, the applica- 

 tion should be light, less than ten loads rather than more 

 per acre, lest the straw in the manure should maintain 

 too porous a condition of the soil. When the manure is 

 possessed of a small amount of litter, it may be applied 

 on autumn-plowed land at any time subsequent to the 

 plowing, and incorporated with the surface soil when the 

 seed bed is being prepared. 



When manure can be thus applied, the benefits are 

 speedily apparent. The time has not yet arrived for the 



