176 THE BOOK OF CORN 



with a hoe, as well as of hoeing the corn and plowing 

 it, has gone by, and in its place have come the hand 

 and one-horse planter, the weeder and one-horse cul- 

 tivator. 



The heavy crops, some -wo hundred bushels ears 

 per acre, are generally grown upon the inverted sod of 

 mowing fields. Good corn, although not so many 

 bushels per acre, is produced upon old, wornout pas- 

 ture land. This land is best and most economically 

 prepared by the cut and cover system of plowing any 

 time during the summer. If time will be valuable the 

 following spring, harrow down the furrows in October 

 and crossplow in a dressing of good manure. If the 

 manure cannot be afforded, then simply crossplow and 

 in the spring use half a ton per acre of superphosphite, 

 sowing about six hundred pounds, to be harrowed in, 

 and put the balance in drill. With this outlay and good 

 cultivation, from one hundred and thirty to one hun- 

 dred and forty bushels ears and about two and one-half 

 tons fodder per acre can be secured. If manured in the 

 fall, harrow down well the following spring and a 

 little phosphate in the drill will give about the same 

 result. 



Early Growth Best in the East — The corn plant 

 secures its growth during the first portion of the 

 season ; the latter portion of the season being utilized 

 in maturing the crop. The seed bed should be so pre- 

 pared as to secure the maximum fertility, moisture and 

 temperature in conjunction, hence shallow plowing is 

 usually followed as leaving the most fertile portions 

 near the surface where the rains penetrate and where 

 the sun exerts the greatest power. The depth of plow- 

 ing will vary with the soil and the season, but an aver- 

 age depth of about five inches is usually followed for 

 spring plowing. 



