320 
0? ME RURAIi NEW-YORKER 
March. 1, 
WHY DO WE CULTIVATE CORN? 
Tell most farmers that it does not 
pay to cultivate corn except to kill 
weeds, and they will laugh at you. We 
have all been brought up on the theory 
that constant shallow cultivation makes 
a dust mulch and conserves moisture. 
We have believed this for a long time, 
but how much do we really know about 
it ? The Department of Agriculture has 
issued a bulletin on ‘‘The Weed Factor 
in the Cultivation of Corn,'’ which jars 
some of our notions about cultivating 
corn. The results of 125 experiments, 
scattered over 28 States and covering- 
several years, are clearly recorded. The 
plan was to take two pieces of land of 
equal size and plant corn in the cus¬ 
tomary way—seed, planting and fertiliz¬ 
ing being the same. On one piece cul¬ 
tivation was carried out in the most ap¬ 
proved plan—with the idea of conserv¬ 
ing moisture, and weeds were also 
chopped out. On the other piece no cul¬ 
tivation whatever was given. The weeds 
and grass were cut out with a sharp 
hoe, stirring the soil as little as possible. 
A few years since a man came to see 
us who had tried this plan, and he 
claimed that he got nearly as much fod¬ 
der and more grain where he did no 
cultivating. It seemed incredible, yet 
these government experiments, carefully 
recorded, show that on the average there 
was practically no difference in yield. 
In some cases the cultivated fields gave 
more, in others less; but on the whole 
there was practically no gain through 
cultivation when the weeds were kept 
down. How can this possibly be when 
we have all been so sure that “thorough 
culture” preserves the moisture in the 
soil? J. S. Cates and H. R. Cox, who 
worked these experiments out, make the 
following suggestions: 
The reasons why uncultivated land kept 
free from weeds should yield practically 
as much corn (grain) per acre as that 
given the most approved modem cultiva¬ 
tion are not clear. The results, however, 
point strongly to the conclusion that the 
principal object of cultivation is the de¬ 
struction of weeds. Where the weeds are 
kept down by some other method cultiva¬ 
tion seems to be of no particular ad¬ 
vantage. This is contrary to the accepted 
teaching on this point, and the conclusion 
is stated only tentatively. There have 
been abundant experimental results to show 
that when land is fallow a soil mulch upon 
it tends to preserve the moisture in the 
soil. It appears quite possible that -when 
the soil is fully occupied by the roots of 
a growing crop there is little possibility of 
moisture from the deeper layers of the 
soil being drawn by capillary action to the 
surface, where it could be evaporated, for 
in doing so the moisture would have to 
thread its way through a maze of roots 
eager to absorb it. Does it not seem that 
these roots would themselves play the part 
that a soil mulch would play if the roots 
were not there? If such is the case, what 
additional advantage would arise by hav¬ 
ing a mulch on a surface beneath which is 
a tangle of fine roots capable of absorb¬ 
ing the moisture that might try to pass 
upward to the surface? 
On the other hand, these roots would 
not interfere to any great extent with the 
progress of rain water downward in the 
soil, for when rainfall is great enough to 
saturate the surface soil there would be 
more moisture present than the roots could 
absorb. Thus, while the soil mulch is im¬ 
portant on fallow soils as a means of 
holding moisture, is it not possible that 
a soil well filled -with living plant roots 
is not in need of a mulch for this purpose? 
This would at least be a plausible explana¬ 
tion of the results reported in this bul¬ 
letin. 
It is further suggested that these results 
may partly be due to the fact that tillage 
mutilates the surface roots of the crop. 
Again, a fall of rain too light to moisten 
the soil below the depth of stirring would 
all be lost on the cultivated land because 
it would not reach the roots of the crop, 
while on the weeded plat there would be 
enough roots in the surface soil to absorb 
a considerable proportion of such light 
rainfall before it had time to evaporate. 
This may be right or not—we do not 
know—but at any rate these results sug¬ 
gest that we need not be too sure about 
this “dust mulch” theory. The same 
thing might not apply to a crop with a 
feebler root system than corn, but we 
have long felt that our cultivators are 
not made on the best principle for han¬ 
dling the soil. A machine working on 
the scratching plan of that “Jumbo hen” 
or slicing on the principle of a “Dutch” 
hoe may do far more effective work in 
ihe corn. At any rate, it is a sure thing 
that the weeds must be kept down. 
FARMERS’ WEEK AT CORNELL. 
If you can conceive of a great farmers’ 
institute lasting a full week instead of 
one or two days, and attended by thousands 
rather than dozens, j-ou have a fair idea 
of what “Farmer’s Week” at Cornell is. 
You may consider it an advanced stage in 
the evolution of farmers’ institutes, free 
from many of their limitations, and des¬ 
tined, perhaps, to fill in large measure the 
lack which progressive farmers are finding 
in the old peripatetic institution. It is to 
be regretted, however, that Farmer's Week 
has one limitation from which it can hardly 
be freed, that is, that not all farmers who 
wish and need the help and inspiration that 
it gives nor even all who are best fitted 
to profit by it, are able to avail themselves 
of its advantages. It requires a certain 
expenditure for traveling and living expenses 
that many can ill afford, and an absence 
from home duties that others find it im¬ 
possible to undertake. The increasing num¬ 
bers who, each year, find it possible to 
make a February pilgrimage to Ithaca find 
that the spirit of the founder of Cornell 
University animates the directors of the 
Agricultural College, and that, within their 
sphere, they, too, desire to found an insti¬ 
tution where anyone may find instruction 
upon any subject. These visitors from the 
farms find also that technical instruction 
is not all that they get from their visit; 
it may even be doubted if it is the most 
valuable thing they carry avyay with them, 
for with the knowledge of how better to 
do the work of their lives, they acquire 
something of an exaltation of spirit, which 
lifts that work from drudgery to the plane 
of scientific achievement, and the round of 
daily tasks which so often come to seem 
sordid are glorified by the knowledge that 
they contain within themselves the means 
to true education of both mind and heart. 
Valuable as is the technical instruction 
of the agricultural student, it is over-topped 
by the change which is made in his point 
of view; the feeding of cows, making of 
butter, raising of corn, or breeding of fowls, 
are seen in their true light as scientific 
operations involving the application of the 
most wonderful natural laws, and they can 
never again become mere drudgery "to be 
performed by. the hand without direction 
from the brain. Even older farmers, who 
may be supposed to have suffered somewhat 
from hardening of the perceptions, catch 
something of this spirit as they mingle 
with students, teachers, and their fellows, 
and note books and pencils are frequently 
seen in gnarled fingers while above them 
keen eyes follow the pointer of the speakers 
at the blackboard, and, whether he knows 
it or not, keen minds analyze his state¬ 
ments in the light of hard experience and 
place. him about where he belongs as a 
£f, Ue j ns t r uctor, or an unpractical theorist. 
Ihe instruction of the week has been well 
systematized, but the very wealth of mate¬ 
rial is confusing to one whose time is lim¬ 
ited, and it has to frequently become a 
choice as to which of two lectures or dem¬ 
onstrations occurring at the same hour one 
can best afford to miss. 
A number of agricultural organizations 
have taken advantage of Farmer’s Week to 
hold their annual conventions at this time, 
while other conferences discuss various mat¬ 
ters of rural interest that are not repre¬ 
sented by formal organizations. There is 
much to interest the social worker, and the 
country church conferences were well at¬ 
tended by enthusiastic men and women who 
debated church and social problems with all 
the zeal that usually attends religious dis¬ 
cussions. Excellent programs were pre¬ 
pared by the N. Y. Plant Breeders’ Asso¬ 
ciation ; the Federation of Floral Clubs: the 
Rural Engineering Societv; the N. Y. Vege¬ 
table Growers’ Association ; and the N. Y. 
poultry associations. These programs com¬ 
bined business meetings of the associations 
with instruction from experts in their va¬ 
rious lines of work, and gave opportunity 
for social meeting of the members, and for 
the attendance of such visitors as were in¬ 
terested in their activities. Various depart- 
ments of the College of Agriculture made 
exhibits of great interest and educational 
value. The Department of Animal Hus¬ 
bandry gave a live stock show, and held a 
cow judging contest open to visitors who 
desired to test, or to demonstrate their abil¬ 
ity to correlate form and function in the 
dairy cow. The Library Organizer of N. Y. 
State exhibited types of the various kinds of 
traveling libraries which the State is will¬ 
ing to send out to school or country dis¬ 
tricts, or even to private individuals who 
are willing to pay the fee of $1. 
Dairymen were given opportunity to wit¬ 
ness butter and cheese making in the dairy 
department, and competitive tests in scor¬ 
ing dairy products familiarized visitors with 
the methods of judging these products. An 
especially interesting exhibit of the De¬ 
partment of Entomology showed some com¬ 
mon insects injurious to farm crops, and 
insects and parasites related to diseases of 
men and animals. 
Different types of farm and orchard ma¬ 
chinery, and a complete septic tank for the 
disposal of house sewage attracted many 
to the Department of Farm Mechanics. Vis¬ 
itors interested in forestry, horticulture, 
plant breeding, plant physiology and path¬ 
ology, soil technology, and in rural school 
education, found exhibits and demonstra¬ 
tions adapted to their needs. The Depart¬ 
ment of Poultry Ilusbandrv made the most 
of the opportunities afforded bv their hand¬ 
some .new building to show some results of 
their work in the past, and in confidence 
with which they look forward to even 
greater things in the future for this branch 
of agriculture. 
r I lie Department of Home Economics in 
its new home attracted many women, and 
not a few men, to their lectures and demon¬ 
strations, and the new cafeteria conducted 
by that department in the basement of its 
building was easily the most popular resort 
on the campus. The fact that a perfectly 
cooked, and daintily served meal could be 
had here for 40 cents or less added a great 
deal to the comfort and pleasure of the Uni¬ 
versity s guests, and this, with the ability 
to gather all visitors at one time in the 
new auditorium, soon to be completed, will 
do much in the future to give a feeling of 
solidarity and at-homeness to those who 
support this university, and are privileged 
to gather at least once a year as to their 
alma mater. m. b. dean. 
TIRED NERVOUS 
BRAIN WORKERS 
who are thin, sleepless and 
physically run-down 
getimmediate relief and lasting 
benefit from the prompt and 
regular use of Scott’s Emul¬ 
sion after meals. 
Its chief constitutent is 
nature’s greatestbody-building 
force, so medically perfected 
that it strengthens the organs 
and tissues, grain by grain, to 
rebuild physical and mental 
energy. No alcohol or opiate. 
Ignore the”exaggerated claims” 
of ” revitalizers ” or ”mysterious 
cures ” and rely on the proven 
medical worth of Scott’s Emulsion 
•—famous for forty years. 
^Scott & Bowne, Bloomfield, N. J. 12-131 y 
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FREE BOOK ON 
ALFALFA 
How you can grow it on your land 
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These and hundreds of other questions that you 
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Lat ns tell you of the method of growing Vetch with your spring planting of Oats to increase the Oat crop 
and enrich the soil at the same time. Also how to secure the same results by growing Soy Beans or other le¬ 
gumes with your Corn. All spring sown clovers should be inoculated, and a little fertilizer applied now means 
more hay. Cow Peas and Soy Beans for Hay— as milk producers, cannot bo excelled. This is practical inform¬ 
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