HINTS ON RAISING FARM CROPS 9 
planted late than the smaller grains, such as 
oats and barley, for instance. Usually each 
community has a standard date, at which time, 
they know that there is little likelihood of late 
frosts, and feel that they are reasonably safe 
to plant their corn by this time. In the north¬ 
ern states, this date is usually some time dur¬ 
ing the month of May. 
There are two generally recognized methods 
of planting corn. One is known as the drill 
method, while the other method is called the 
check-row system. Drilling the corn in rows 
seems to be the most popular method of the 
two. This consists of a horse-drawn planter, 
which drops the kernels about a foot apart in 
the row, with a distance of about forty inches 
between the rows. The check row system is 
..also done by a horse planter, whereby the ker¬ 
nels of corn are dropped in hill about forty- 
four inches apart each way. Either three or 
four kernels are dropped in each hill. This 
has a decided advantage in one respect, at 
least, in that the plants can be cultivated both 
ways, that is, they can be cultivated length¬ 
wise of the field, as well as crosswise, thus 
enabling the farmer to keep down weeds in an 
effective manner. There is usually not much 
difference in the yield of the crop, whether it 
is drilled or check-rowed, as experiments have 
shown that the yields are about equal, on the 
average. 
One of the most important factors in the suc¬ 
cess of a corn crop, is proper cultivation. From 
the moment the corn is planted, it has to fight 
a struggle for its existence. Small organisms 
