TEE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



share of humns matter tp cojiserve the 

 moisture, is probably the ideal one for 

 mealie growing. Such a soil will not only 

 absorb water, but will act as a reservoir 

 from which the plant may freely draw on 

 that supply required by it. 



Any fairly good soil will grow mealies, 

 but the nearer it can be brought into this 

 ideal state the more success in its growth 

 may be attained. Shallow soils resting 

 on a stiff bottom may produce good 

 average crops so long as they are fairly 

 moist, but during a season of drought 

 they are apt to dry out and result in a 

 falling off of the crop. 



The land should be prepared by first 

 deeply ploughing ; it is injudicious to dis- 

 turb the natural lie of the soil suddenly 

 by bringing the subsoil to the top or 

 mixing with that of the surface ; if the 

 land has nut previously had a deep 

 ploughing the wiser plan will be to gradu- 

 ally deepen the cut at each successive 

 yearly turning over until a depth of from 

 7 to 9 inches has been attained. 



It was observed in the above investiga- 

 tion that the bulk of the roots were con- 

 tained in the first 8 inches of the soil, 

 and it was also found in ordinary culti- 

 vated ground that in the earlier stages of 

 the plant growth that the roots had a diffi- 

 culty in penetrating the hard layer formed 

 by the running of the plough and weight 

 of the animals at the usual depth to which 

 plough cultivation had successively been 

 carried out. 



Heavy and clay soils should be turned 

 over deeply in the autumn or winter, so 

 that the action of frost if any) or the ex- 

 tremes of heat and cold may assist in 

 their disintegration, whereas light and 

 sandy soils are probably better to be 

 turned over in the spring before planting, 

 as their texture is already loose and rather 

 requires compacting. 



Where the soil is thin and rests on a 

 stiff subsoil, much benefit may be derived 

 from the use of the subsoiler following 

 the plough ; by it the bottom soil will be 

 loosened and stirred without being 

 brought to the surface, so producing more 

 scope for root penetration, improving the 

 water capacity, and using the drainage. 



It is a mistake to plough heav}^ clay 

 soils when they are wet, as they set h ird and 

 bake when drying, and become most diffi- 

 cult to I'educe again to a fine tilth. 



Cross-plough in the spring to the depth 

 of 3 or 4 inches, then harrow each way 

 sufficiently often to break up the surface 

 well and produce a fine tilth. Cultivation 

 will certainly pay with this crop, and it 

 should be determined that a judicious 

 amount of working will be given to prove 

 the success of these operations. Such cul- 

 tivation will result in a well aerated soil, 

 level and free from weeds, ready to ab- 

 sorb moisture and promote the best root 

 growth of the plants. 



There are several methods of planting, 

 but by consensus of opinion the drill is 

 the most efficient one. By it the seeds 

 are dropped regularly and covered at uni- 

 form depths, provided the land has been 

 well levelled, giving a regular stand of 

 corn. Whichever way the seed are 

 planted, whether in the furrow or by 

 means of the drill, they should be so 

 arranged that after cultivation between 

 the rows will be an easy undertaking. 



Once the corn is planted th-^ harrows 

 should be run over the surface, and again 

 when the plants just appear above ground. 

 If blunt, light harrows are used for this 

 purpose there is little danger of injuring 

 the young plants to any extent. Many 

 keep the disc or harrows going till the 

 crop is four inches high. These operations 

 have the effect of keeping the soil in good 

 condition, mulcifying it, and disturbing 

 or killing any young weeds which have 

 begun to sprout ; by cultivating at this 

 time with the harrows or hoe they can be 

 so effectually checked that danger from 

 their getting the upper hand is practically 

 averted. 



All the cultivation now should be shal- 

 low, not extending more than three inches 

 at the most below the surface, as there the 

 roots lie, and any harsh pruning will 

 result in injury. Keep the cultivator or 

 horse-hoe going between the rows until 

 the plants are 3 or 4 feet high, and by that 

 time they should have made such a good 

 stand that every success can be safely anti- 

 cipated. 



The thickness of sowing will depend 

 much on the nature of the soil and local 

 experience ; that found best on average 

 soils is in rows 3 to 4 feet apart, with 

 spaces of 10 to IG inches between the seed 

 in the row. In light land the rows may 

 be of the narrower dimension, with the 

 seeil far apart in the row, and in rich land 



