PRACTICAL PAPERS—CULTIVATION OF CORN. 
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and absorb the nourishment of the corn—without using hoe 
and fingers. My plan is to go over it with a harrow, four or 
five days after planting, and if the weather is cold, so that it is 
long in coming up, go over it twice. This uses up one or two 
crops of weeds that would be in the hills. Any harrow will 
do, but a Scotch one, of seventy or more fine teeth, with light 
wooding, is preferable. As soon as the rows can be seen, so as to 
keep horses from stepping on the hills, put on the brush. It must 
be watched on the start, to see that it does not scrape too hard 
on the rows. If there is any trouble it is easily remedied by 
cutting off the large or crooked limbs, or raising up and work¬ 
ing under fine brush. This will clean out of the hills any 
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young weeds that may have started, leaving the earth loose 
and lively—equal to the old New England way of hoeing all 
the earth away from the hill, then cleaning out the cluster of 
weeds with hands, and hauling back fresh dirt—and at the rate 
of twenty-five acres a day, instead of an half acre, as in the 
latter case. 
The harrow must follow the brush when the corn is four or 
five inches high ; but it will not do to use it at the same time, 
as it would cover up the small corn. This is the time when 
the timid and inexperienced will think the crop will be ruined, 
and set the harrow up by the fence. To be sure two or three 
teeth will go through each hill, knocking over some, partially 
covering up some and occasionally pulling up a spear, but 
soon the spears will rise and grow rapidly ; if a few are de¬ 
stroyed it is no matter, they can be spared. 
In a week or ten days more, the corn will be eight or ten 
inches high, and weeds, if any, small. Now is the time for the 
cultivator. Before proceeding with this, review what has been 
done, partially to see how much the land has been worked 
since planting and at what cost. 
Suppose the piece twenty-five acres. First, bushed after 
planting; second, harrowed before coming up; third, bushed 
as soon as corn seen ; fourth, harrowed. The ground has all 
been worked over four times, in the hill as well as outside, with 
four day’s work, which a twelve or fourteen year old boy—if 
