CHAPTER X 



i^/^XISTING agricultural conditions are beginning 

 Wf^ to have an influence upon the method of har- 

 >^^' vesting corn in the middle and western states. 

 While the rich prairie soils contained an unlim- 

 ited amount of plant food little attention was given 

 to harvesting corn except to see that the largest imme- 

 diate returns from each individual crop were secured. 

 No thought, or at least very little, was given to 

 the matter of keeping up the fertility of the land 

 by returning to it any part of the grain grown upon 

 it from year to year. Where fodder was needed 

 for farm animals the corn was cut and preserved 

 in shocks until needed for feed. The general rule, 

 however, was to allow the corn to remain in the 

 field until thoroughly matured, then to husk the 

 ears from the standing stalks. The grain was either 

 fed or sold direct to the elevator. The stalks were 

 allowed to remain in the field until spring, when they 

 were broken, raked and burned. 



By this method absolutely nothing was returned 

 except the ashes from the stalks, and these were so 

 poorly distributed as to be of little value. The pro- 

 ductive capacity of the soil began to decrease, until 

 to-day the chiefest problem confronting the corn belt 

 farmer is how to harvest and dispose of his com crop 

 and at the same time retain the greatest amount of 

 valuable fertilizing elements — ^potash, phosphorus and 

 nitrogen. The nitrogen is obtained by growing leg- 

 umes, particularly clovers and cowpeas. How to 

 retain the potash and phosphorus is the great problem. 



