66 



FIELD CROP PRODUCTION 



manure crop is plowed under, it should usually be done 

 early, since if turned under late in the spring, it will not 

 have time to decay and may prevent the water from 

 coming up, and the corn roots from growing downward. 



55. Preparing the ground after plowing. — Fall plowed 

 land is usually allowed to remain until spring without 

 further preparation. The mistake is often made of de- 

 laying the preparation of fall plowed land imtil just before 



Fig. 18. — Organic matter should not be plowed under in large amounts 

 late in the spring, as it may prevent the capillary rise of moisture. 



seeding. When this practice is followed, complaint is 

 often made that corn suffers more from lack of water than 

 that on spring plowed land. This is due to a failure to 

 establish early in the spring the earth mulch which has 

 been settled down by the freezing and thawing of winter. 

 The mulch should be reestablished as soon as the ground is 

 dry enough in the spring, by cultivation with a harrow, 

 and not be left to lose moisture until planting time. On 

 spring plowed land the most successful plan of conserving 

 moisture is that of following the plow each day with the 



