CORN SOILS 151 



137. Poor and acid soils. — It is doubtful whether land 

 so poor as to produce without fertilizers only 10 l)ushels of 

 corn per acre is in condition to produce a profitable crop 

 of corn, even when fertilized. It will usually be more 

 profitable in such cases to grow first a crop of cowpeas or of 

 some other soil-improving plant before planting the land 

 in corn. 



Corn makes a fair yield even on land that is slightl}' 

 acid ; but on such soils, the yield is usuallj^ improved by an 

 application of about half a ton of slacked lime per acre. 

 Corn is more intolerant of dryness in the soil than of any 

 other condition. A dry or thirsty soil may cause the 

 leaves to " fire " and the plant to be undersized, with only 

 one ear or nubbin per plant. Moreover, on thirsty land, 

 the distance between plants must be wide, resulting in a 

 small yield per acre. 



138. Other corn soils. — In selecting land for corn, 

 deep sand beds should be avoided, as being too poor and 

 dry. The stiffest clays are also not desirable, since they 

 are often too compact for sufScient penetration by the 

 roots and for thorough preparation, cultivation, and drain- 

 age. Corn is a favorite crop on new ground or land from 

 which the timber has just been cleared. 



Rotation 



139. The place of corn in a rotation. — On cotton farms 

 there is too frequently no effort to practice rotation or sys- 

 tematic change of crop from field to field. Especially is 

 there a failure to alternate any other crop -with corn, for the 

 reason that in the sandy and hilly country corn is generally 

 planted on the narrow bottoms, which constitute the best 



