TILLAGE, PLANTING, ANT) Ct/LTlVATtON 395 



354. Amount of Seed Planted per Acre. — This varies greatly chap. 

 with the method and distance of planting, and with the breed IX - 

 of maize planted. If plates with suitable holes are used, a muid 



of Chester County will plant many more acres than a muid of 

 Hickory King, because it contains so many more grains. It is 

 usually estimated that 18 to 20 lbs. of Hickory King are required 

 to plant an English acre (70 x 70 yards), or, in other words, 

 that a muid will plant 10 acres. 



355. Depth of Planting. — The rule with maize is to plant it 

 just deep enough to ensure a continuous supply of moisture. 

 In countries subject to periodic drought, like most parts of 

 South Africa, deeper planting is required than in countries of 

 more uniform rainfall. Deep planting allows the seed to re- 

 main in contact with moist soil ; at the same time it takes 

 longer and requires more effort for the plant to reach the 

 surface. But there is a possibility of planting too deeply, and 

 in the United States it has been found that too deep planting 

 reduces the yield per acre, apparently because tori man)- seeds 

 fail in germination. 



Deep planting does not appear to materially affect the 

 depth to which the roots penetrate the soil, nor does it ap- 

 parently affect the yield per individual stalk, which has been 

 found to be the same at all depths tested. 



Tests made at the Botanical Experiment Station, Pretoria, 

 gave the best results with seed planted at depths of 4 and 5 

 inches. In drier seasons it seems probable that 6 inches would 

 be still better. Seed planted at 8 inches, even, germinated well, 

 though slowly. 



Seed of the same breed, planted the same day, at different 

 depths, at the Botanical Experiment Station, gave the follow- 

 ing results. Sown 23 November, followed by a rainfall of 

 095 inch on the 26th, appeared above ground as follows: — 



TABLE LVII. 



EFFECT OF. DEPTH OF PLANTING ON GERMINATION. 



Depth. 



i-inch ; seedlings first appeared above ground 27 Nov. 



2- ,, ., ,, >. ,, .. 2 7 >» 



3- ,, ,, ,, ,, .. 28 ,, appeared next best to 5 



inches. 



4" ,. ,, „ ,. >, :, 3° :, 



