DATE AND METHOD OF PLANTING 19 
mit of the use of a regular corn cultivator in 15 to 
20 days after planting if favorable weather condi- 
tions prevail. 
Level culture is most satisfactory from the be- 
ginning till the crop is laid by, and will leave the 
field in good condition for harvesting. Cultivations 
should be frequent enough to keep the soil from 
becoming crusted and hard, for in this condition the 
moisture passes off most quickly, leaving the soil 
dry and the soluble salts or plant food at the sur- 
face and entirely out of reach of the roots of the 
plants. An inch or two of finely divided soil or dust 
serves as a thick blanket in conserving the moisture 
and keeping the dissolved plant food accessible to 
the roots. Late in the season the soil may be stirred 
with a one-horse cultivator by going once in a row 
with this implement. For this work it should be 
equipped with a number of small shovels. This 
practice is not common in the broom-corn sections, 
but since it gives good results in the cultivation of 
corn, it should be equally effective in broom-corn 
culture. 
