PLANTING AND CULTIVATING 1 15 



practice in listing is to go into the unprepared field 

 with a specially constructed machine called a lister. 

 This lister is arranged like a double plow, so that it 

 throws out a furrow. The corn is drilled in the bot- 

 tom of this furrow, and loose dirt is dragged over the 

 seed by small hooks which catch the earth on the sides 

 of the furrows. The rows are usually drilled about 

 three and one-half feet apart, and when cultivated, the 

 dirt is rolled down into the furrow until at the end of 

 the season the field is level. 



Listing in Eastern States — Owing to the success 

 of this practice in the western states, it has been intro- 

 duced into Illinois and some of the eastern states. In 

 these cases it has not been entirely successful. The 

 method of listing has been changed to suit the eastern 

 conditions. Instead of going into the unprepared field 

 and listing the corn, most farmers furrow out the field 

 late in the fall or during the winter. These furrows 

 are drawn about three and one-half feet apart, so there 

 is a ridge of loose dirt between the two furrows. At 

 the time of planting these ridges are split with the 

 lister and the old furrows filled up. In this way the 

 surplus water is allowed to drain out of the soil and 

 the seedbed is put in condition for germination. After 

 the second set of furrows has been made the seed is 

 planted with an ordinary corn planter, the runners of 

 the planter following in the furrows made by the lister. 

 Usually the seed is checked, thus allowing cross- 

 sultivation. 



The objection to listing, as ordinarily practiced, 

 in the eastern states, or in the heavier loam soils, is 

 that the seed is put down in a dead furrow where it is 

 too cold for germination. There is no reason, in such 

 soils, for going down to secure moisture, because there 

 is usually an excess of water for germination. After 

 the corn comes up it is not possible to stir the soil about 



