CORN 143 



Do not use kernels from the butts and tips of the ears. Fold 

 the cloth edges over the corn to hold it in place. Lay 

 your pencil across the end and roll the cloth up carefully. 

 Put a rubber or string around it and the "doll" is made. In 

 farm practice a number of cloths may be used so as to test 

 enough seed for large fields. The thirty ears on one cloth 

 might be enough for two acres. 



Soak the "dolls" in water for about one day. Then 

 remove from the water and place in a covered jar to keep them 

 moist a few days until germination takes place. 



Then unroll carefully and examine and decide what ears 

 are low in germination. Write down the percentages for list 

 of numbered ears in your note-book. Then locate and dis- 

 card the ears that are not good for planting. 



i 



CORN CULTURE. 



Soil and Fertilizers. It hardly pays to try to grow 

 much corn on poor soil. There may be other crops, such as 

 cowpeas or oats, that would thrive on poor soil better than 

 corn. Rather rich medium or heavy loam is admirably 

 adapted to corn growing. If moisture conditions are favor- 

 able corn may be grown on a wide variety of soils. The 

 lighter soils may become too dry in the summer, and the 

 undrained muck soils may remain wet and cold in the early 

 part of the growing season. The latter soils may produce 

 heavy growths of stalks and leaves, but fail to mature much 

 sound grain. 



Barnyard manure should be applied to uplands for the 

 best growth of corn, as organic matter and nitrogen are very 

 beneficial for the crop. Heavy soils are much improved by 

 plowing under green manure crops and barnyard manure. 



Preparing the Soil. The best corn growers insist on the 

 early plowing of the ground for corn, unless it was fall plowed. 

 It should be plowed a month or six weeks before the date of 

 planting. If the ground was in sod, the disc harrow may be 

 used soon after the plow. During the balance cf the time the 



