September, 1910.] 



215 



Eddble Products. 



There have been many methods de- 

 vised for carrying out rigid selection 

 and elimination, but a discussion of 

 these would be altogether tco long to 

 include here. Suffice it to say that by 

 the practice of these methods the yield 

 of corn in Illinois between the years 1890 

 and 1900 was increased 22'8 per cent, over 

 that between the years of 1880 and 1890, 

 and in Indiana during a period of ten 

 years an increase of 12'8 per cent, was 

 made. 



In certain experiments made in Illinois 

 the per cent, of oil was increased in two 

 years from 4'7 per cent, to 7'37 per cent. 



Improvement op Soil. 



The opportunities for the improvement 

 of soil offer a wide field for the efforts of 

 the intelligent farmer. 



While it is true that proper seed selec- 

 tion and thorough cultivation will 

 greatly increase the average production 

 of corn per acre, it is equally true that 

 the cultivation of corn on very poor land 

 will never be found profitable, and should 

 not be attempted until the land has 

 been brought into a fertile condition 

 by the growing and cultivation of 

 leguminous crops and the application of 

 such manures as are obtainable. In the 

 meantime some crops that require less 

 fertility than corn can be grown. 



Soils may be rendered unfit for crop- 

 ping by two conditions — first, by poor 

 physical condition, and, second, by lack 

 of the materials necessary for plant food. 



Very compact soils are not desirable, 

 as they do. not take up water readily, 

 and if they do take it up are apt to lose 

 it too readily by evaporation. They re- 

 sist the penetration of roots and the 

 entrance of air. On the other hand, very 

 loose sandy soils are open to the objec- 

 tion that they lose water too readily by 

 allowing it to pass through and escape, 

 carrying with it such soluble plant foods 

 as may be present. 



The compact clay soils may be most 

 effectively and cheaply opened by the 

 growing of strong deep-rooted plants, 

 whose roots in decaying leave ducts 

 through which the surface water may 

 pass to greater depths ; and by the 

 ploughing in of such green material as is 

 available the amount of humus in the soil 

 will be greatly increased, which will aid 

 in keeping it loose and in retaining mois- 

 ture. The same method of procedure 

 may be used on too sandy and loose soil 

 with equal success. 



Of the elements of fertility, nitrogen 

 is the most likely to be lacking, and as it 

 is the most expensive if it is to be bought 

 on the market, it is best for the farmer 



to obtain it by the growing of legu- 

 minous crops, such as beans, peanuts, 

 etc., and if the vines are ploughed under 

 there is also a great gain in humus. 



Potash, which is also often lacking 

 the farmer may often obtain from ashes 

 in fact, ashes were for a long time the 

 principal source of potash. 



The third element which is likely to 

 be lacking is phosphorus, which is gener- 

 ally applied in some of the commercial 

 forms, such as ground bone, dried blood, 

 or phosphate rock in some of its forms. 



A good fertiliser for a corn crop might 

 he composed of 2 per cent, nitrogen, 6 

 per cent, phosphorus, and 8 per cent, 

 potash, the mixture to be applied at the 

 rate of 250 kilos per acre. 



Improvement op Methods op 



OtjLTIVATION. 



It must be observed that methods 

 which give the best results in some 

 sections have failed to give good results 

 in others. For instance, a section with 

 fertile soils and gooJ rainfall will give 

 best yields with thick planting, while 

 other sections with less rainfall or poorer 

 land will require thinner planting. In 

 situations with deep soils and prolonged 

 dry weather good results are obtained 

 by planting in furrows, while on land 

 that is low and wet the farmer must 

 resort to planting on raised beds or on 

 ridges Often adjacent farms will be 

 so different as to require quite different 

 treatment, so only some fundamental 

 principles of good corn cultivation will 

 be given, 



Generally speaking, deep ploughing 

 is best on deep, rich soils, provided it is 

 done early enough to allow the land to 

 settle afterwards, and if it does not 

 render the soil too loose and dry. 



Ploughing should not be at the same 

 depth from year to year, as by such a 

 practice the soil is not mixed well and a 

 bad surface is left at the bottom of the 

 furrow where the horses walk and the 

 plough drags. It is well to plough a 

 little deeper each year for several years 

 and then return to the original depth. 



The time of planting, like other things, 

 varies with the section. For example, 

 it seems that in the Province of La 

 Laguna there are three crops grown a 

 year, the time of sowing being in 

 December and January, April and Miy, 

 and August and September. It should 

 not be planted in very wet ground, as 

 the kernels are likely to rot, especially 

 if the soil is heavy. 



On low wet land underground drain- 

 age will prove most profitable in the 

 end, but the original cost is rather great. 



