90 THE BOOK OF CORN 



until the returns are no longer profitable. Hence it has 

 become necessary to consider the waste of soil fertility 

 in corn culture and to conserve this plant food care- 

 fully for future crops. 



A large amount of fertility is lost through burning 

 stalks and straw. The important element in this mate- 

 rial for plant food, nitrogen, is lost in burning. The 

 other two valuable elements? phosphorus and potash, 

 are left in such shape that they are easily washed away, 

 dissipated and lost. The remedy for this condition is 

 to plow under all stalks and straw. In the case of corn- 

 stalks, where they have been pastured off during the 

 winter, they can be easily harrowed down and plowed 

 under. This can be accomplished successfully by hitch- 

 ing one horse to a section of a harrow behind the plow. 

 If the stalks are very heavy, they can be cut with stalk 

 cutters, the plow provided with a rolling coulter or 

 jointer and the rows of stalks easily turned under. 

 Another successful plan is to disk the field of corn- 

 stalks. This plan will cut up the stalks and permit 

 their being plowed under successfully. 



In plowing under fertilizing crops which have been 

 sowed in the corn at the time of the last cultivation, 

 such as cowpeas or soy beans, or have been sowed 

 after oats have been harvested, it is desirable to do this 

 as early in the fall as possible. The longer they have 

 been turned under previous to freezing weather, the 

 more complete the decomposition and decay by the 

 time the crop needs the fertility. One advantage of 

 such a fertilizing crop is that after the corn has ceased 

 growing or after the oats have been harvested, the soil 

 fertility is being continually liberated by the action of 

 the soil organisms during warm weather. These crops 

 coming on at this time take up this fertility, which 

 might otherwise be dissipated into the atmosphere or 

 leached out by rains. They hold it until they are 



