16 PRACTICAL CORN CULTURE 
if the stalks are turned under as early as the 15th of April, 
they will be thoroughly water-soaked and partially rotted by 
the time the corn is cultivated the first time. Stalks add 
some humus to the soil the first year, and the more humus 
there is in the soil, the better its moisture retaining qualities. 
Decaying stalks are very beneficial in keeping the soil 
loose. Loose soil allows the water to soak into the ground 
during a rain. On the other hand, hard packed soil will shed 
most of the rainfall off, especially on hilly ground. On 
hillsides, plowing stalks under is an additional benefit in that 
it prevents washes. 
Discing before plowing serves a three-fold purpose. It 
cuts up the stalks, levels down the ridges, and pulverizes 
the top soil, making a mulch of from two to four inches in 
depth. This mulch aids greatly in the re-establishing of capil- 
larity between the furrow slice and the bottom of the furrow. 
Pulverizing improves the physical condition of the soil by 
cutting up clods which could never be broken after they had 
been turned under. It is the buried clod that is more detri- 
mental than the one on top. We consider the disc fully as 
important an implement on the farm ag either the plow or 
the harrow. Our discs are kept bright and sharp and are 
used over more acres than are the plows. Before the corn is 
planted, the field is disced at least once. By diseing before 
and after plowing the furrow slice is pulverized clear through. 
IMPORTANCE OF Goop PLOWING 
Since plowing is the slowest and most expensive of any 
single operation on the farm, every effort should be made to 
do it right. The furrow should be straight and uniform in 
width and depth. The furrow slice should be clear cut and 
all of the dirt moved. This does not mean that there should 
