? 86 



MAIZE 



CHAP. 

 IX. 



says Shelton (i), that listed corn endures dry weather much 

 better than that planted near the surface ; that it gives in- 

 creased yield ; and that the labour of growing a crop is there- 

 by reduced one-fourth to one-third. In 1888 " nearly or 

 quite three-fourths of Kansas corn was raised by the method 

 known as listing ; which . . . consists of drilling the seed in 

 the bottoms of deep furrows struck at the usual intervals, in 

 ground not otherwise ploughed" {Shelton, I). In experiments 

 conducted at the Kansas and Oklahoma Stations, five out of 

 eight trials of listed maize gave the best results, with an 

 average yield of the eight trials 6 per cent greater than that 



Fig. 142. — Combined lister and planter. 



with surface planting ; but at the Illinois Station the results 

 were in favour of surface planting {Hunt, 1). 



A few listing implements have been introduced into South 

 Africa, but the writer has not yet seen the results of any trials 

 conducted with them. 



345. Use of Planters. — The use of planters is rapidly gain- 

 ing ground. An implement dealer in a small country town of 

 the Transvaal stated that in 1908 he sold nineteen planters, 

 which was more than he had sold in the previous six years. 

 In 1909 he sold fifty-one planters before the end of August ; 

 and there were two other firms in the same town who dealt in 

 planters. This means progress. The great advantage of the 

 planter lies in the uniformity in distance and in depth of 

 planting, rapidity of work, and economy in labour. Many 



