British Dairy Farming. 
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must be absolutely active and available. It is for this reason 
that, whether it is taken as a second crop or not, the land is 
manured in the autumn to the extent of some 16 tons per acre. 
In addition to this practice, M. Lecouteux, one of the leading 
authorities in France, recommends that, at the time of sowing, 
3 cwt. of superphosphate, and £ cwt. of sulphate of ammonia 
should be added per acre. He prefers to provide the nitrogen 
required by the crop rather than to trust to its extraction from 
the air, as it does not appear to be yet decided whether 
the maize plant obtains its nitrogen from the atmosphere or 
from the soil. The seed-bed, to be perfect, should be humid and 
warm, and in this case the seed will rapidly vegetate, the plant 
appearing above the surface in a very few days ; but in my own 
practice I have found that it did not appear for a fortnight, and 
that it grew slowly during the subsequent month. For the first 
two months after planting it is somewhat disappointing, and 
apparently promises a failure ; but after this period it grows 
rapidly, unchecked by drought, which it has great power of 
withstanding, until it reaches its extreme height towards the 
end of September, before which time, cutting may be com- 
menced. Although a splendid plant for providing green food 
during a hot summer, when everything but lucerne fails, few 
plants respond so readily to liquid manure or even to water. 
To obtain a maximum crop of maize, the land should not only 
be good and suitable, but it should be cultivated by autumn 
ploughing and spring harrowing, unless a spring crop is 
taken, when this somewhat diminishes the yield. The seed- 
bed should be fine and well rolled, so that the drill may deposit 
the grains as evenly as possible. Drilling should always be 
succeeded by rolling, one important reason being that, when 
attacked by crows, as the crop is certain to be, the birds find 
greater difficulty in pulling up the seeds, which they endeavour 
to do by tugging at the plant. When the maize appears above 
ground, it is horse-hoed, the same implement going between the 
rows a second time a month later, after which the crop is hand- 
hoed between the plants when they are about a foot high. At 
this time, too, the earth is drawn about their roots, to protect 
them against heavy winds. It is a strange fact, however, that 
though the tallest maize plant may be blown almost completely 
over by the wind, its feelers or rootlets will still grasp the earth, 
and will continue to maintain it in the position which it has 
assumed. In some cases it is the practice to commence to cut 
a large crop of maize when it is 3 feet high, and as the 
rows are cleared, the land is ploughed up, and a catch crop is 
taken. This I have known done with considerable success for 
a third crop, which many Continental farmers make a point of 
obtaining. It is only conducted, however, where great necessity 
