CORN LETTERS FROM THIRTY FARMERS 148 
Unionville, Mo., April 20th, 1913. 
Messrs. W. T. Ainsworth & Sons, Mason City, Illinois. 
Gentlemen:—I am of the opinion that, but few farmers realize the 
importance of the properly prepared seed bed, and a good many who 
do realize it, do not put it into practice. Many of us make noble 
resolutions in December but fail to carry them out in May. I have 
seen many farmers plow sod in the spring, disc and harrow once, 
and plant twice, (the first planting did not come up), with the natural 
result that the corn-pens were slim in the fall. 
I know of a farmer who did not work sod ground this last year, 
until time to plant. His reasons were, that the season had been wet 
the year before and the plowed ground was better if left alone. But 
this season was dry, with the results that this field on sod made only 
ten bushels per acre. It is always safe to work sod ground down, 
and the drier the season is, the more work will be needed, and the 
better the work will pay. Sod should be disced from two to four times, 
depending on its toughness. I disced one field four times this year, 
and there is no doubt but that it paid me. I use the dise and harrow 
in preference to the drag. If the ground is not too wet, I harrow the 
corn after it is planted. It pays to buy good seed corn of a reliable 
breeder. PEARL FIFE. 
Mr. Fife is a breeder of pure bred O. I. C. SWINE. 
Atoka, Oklahoma, April 22nd, 1913. 
W. T. Ainsworth & Sons, Mason City, Illinois. 
Gentlemen:—I am somewhat surprised and pleased to see that 
Illinois farmers ask advice from an Oklahoma farmer in regard to 
growing corn. The methods I follow would not be well suited to 
Illinois conditions, but they are practiced by the most enterprising 
farmers in all sections when there is a deficiency of rainfall. 
As soon as the corn is gathered the stalks are cut and the ground 
listed up with a fourteen-inch lister and subsoiled with a long, shallow 
plow. After plowing, the ground should be let alone until spring. 
When I am ready to plant in the spring I relist, subsoil and plant. 
For the first cultivation I use four long calf-tongue plows and 
plow good and deep. The next plowing I use shovel plows. I lay by 
with a disc cultivator when the corn is about waist high. 
Yours truly, DUTCH JONES. 
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