INDIAN CORN. 



29 



enough to prevent seed from maturing. If these precautions are 

 taken the grass can be prevented from becoming very troublesome. 



To eradicate velvet grass cut it early, before the seed is ripe, generally from 

 the 10th to the 20th of June. About the 1st of July give it a thorough but shal- 

 low disking. Repeat the shallow disking every week until the 1st of August 

 and then spring-tooth and disk again. This shallow cultivation during the 

 driest season will kill the roots and leave the ground with a very fine mulch on 

 top and plenty of moisture in the subsoil. The land may then be reseeded to 

 clover or planted to any crop desired. « 



INDIAN CORN. 



The climatic conditions of western Oregon and western Washing- 

 ton are not well adapted to the growing of corn {Zea mays). The 

 nights are too cool for its best development, and unless very early 

 varieties are grown difficulty is often experienced in bringing it to 

 maturity. Nevertheless corn fills an important place in the crop- 

 ping systems of this region, particularly on dairy farms; i. e., for 

 ensilage and for feeding green during August, September, and Octo- 

 ber. While it may be impracticable to grow corn for the grain, it 

 is possible by selecting very early varieties and using seed grown 

 near by to grow a good quality of ensilage corn. The aim should 

 be to grow those varieties that reach as near maturity and yield as 

 much grain as possible. The large southern varieties produce very 

 little grain here, and are so immature when put into the silo at the 

 end of the season that too much acid develops. 



The following table gives the quantity of water and dry matter 

 in corn at different stages of growth, as determined by the New York 

 (Geneva) Agricultural Experiment Station: 



Water and dry .matter in corn at different periods after tasseling. 



Date of 

 cutting. 



Stage of growth. 



Corn per 



Water 



acre. 



per acre. 



Tons. 



Tons. 



9.0 



8.2 



12.9 



n.3 



16.3 



14.0 



16.1 



12.5 



14.2 



10.2 



Dry mat- 

 ter per 

 acre. 



July 30 

 Aug. 9 

 Aug. 21 

 Sept. 7 

 Sept, 23 



Fully tasseled. 



Fully silked.. 



Kernels watery to full milk 



Kernels glazing 



Ripe 



Tons. 

 0.8 

 1.5 

 2.3 

 3.6 

 4.0 



This table is very interesting. The last column shows the dry 

 matter of corn at different stages of growth. Ripe corn yields five 

 times as much dry matter per acre as corn that is fully tasseled, 

 two and two-thirds times as much as corn fully silked, and nearly 

 one and three-fourths times as much as corn in the milk; hence, 

 the importance of growing corn for ensilage that will mature. The 



a Letter from W. H. Kaufman, Bellingham, Wash, 



94 



