CORN 183 



Unless the rough plowed sod is disced down early and 

 well in the spring, it will dry out badly. Discing at this 

 time forms a mulch which conserves moisture ; and it also 

 admits air about the roots, thus hastening decay and 

 liberating plant food. 



It is common knowledge that corn in sod ground is 

 liable to " fire " during the hot months of summer. This 

 may be expected whenever large pieces of sod are allowed 

 to remain in the seed bed, since the air can circulate so 

 freely through the open spaces about them that the bed 

 is quickly dried out. The corn, then, becomes yellow 

 simply from lack of moisture. To prevent this, it is neces- 

 sary to disc thoroughly when getting the seed bed ready 

 for planting that these sod masses may be cut into fine 

 pieces; and after this, the harrow should be used until 

 the soil is in the finest possible state of division. 



It is sometimes found impossible to plow sod ground 

 for corn in the fall as indicated above. In this case, it 

 should be first disced very early in the spring when the 

 ground has thawed to a depth of only two or three inches. 

 The disc at this time will cut through the sod, chopping it 

 into fine pieces ; and when the plowing is done later, the 

 earth will crumble as it turns nearly as well as does stubble 

 ground. 



The plowing of sod in the spring should be done early, 

 as considerable time is needed to restore the capillary 

 connection with the subsoil and to liberate plant food by 

 decay. It is a serious mistake to allow the grass to begin 

 to grow before plowing sod in the spring as it consumes 

 available plant food which at this time is deficient; and 

 later, when it is turned under, it prevents the rise of 

 moisture from below. In doing this plowing in the spring, 

 the harrow should follow soon after the plow as it forms 

 a mulch, which prevents the newly turned sod from drying 



