50 



SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



corn show a difference of more than 15 per cent in yield in favor of shallow 

 cultivation. Sixty-one tests of deep cultivation gave an average yield of 

 64.9 bushels per acre, while 55 tests of shallow cultivation gave an aver- 

 age yield of 74.7 bushels, a difference of nearly 10 bushels per acre. One 

 to two inches is considered shallow cultivation and four to five inches 

 deep cultivation. 



The frequency of cultivation will depend chiefly on the surface con- 

 dition of the soil and the presence of weeds. In the absence of weeds 

 and with the surface soil in a loose condition, little is to be gained by 

 cultivation. 



Methods of Harvesting. — Throughout the typical corn belt a large 

 proportion of the corn is harvested from the standing stalks in the field, 

 and the stalks are pastured or allowed to go to waste. This method 

 fails to fully utilize the by-products of corn production, and is wasteful in 



Several Forms of Husking Pegs. 1 



the extreme. In the eastern part of the United States the whole plant 

 is generally harvested and utilized. When corn is grown for feeding 

 dairy cows or steers the fullest utilization of the entire product is attained 

 by storing in the silo. For this purpose it should be cut when the kernels 

 have begun to glaze and the husks and lower leaves are turning brown. 

 When not to be used for silage, corn should be put in shocks at a some- 

 what more advanced stage of maturity. Three to four hundred stalks 

 make a shock sufficiently large to stand well and cure properly. The corn 

 should be husked in three to six weeks after shocking, the ears stored in 

 a well-ventilated crib, and the stover reshocked. Care should be exercised 

 to so stand and slant the stover that the shocks will stand. They should 

 be securely tied about two feet from the tops with strong binder twine. 

 It is a waste of good material to allow the shocks to stand in the field 

 until March or April. 



i From Farmers' Bulletin 313, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



