New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 
93 
The roots of potatoes appeared to be less affected by root-pruning 
than those of corn, and the difference seemed due to two facts, 
viz.: The cutting appeared to check the root growth less, and a 
larger proportion of the roots grew too deep to be reached by a 
pruning tool inserted at the depth of three inches. 
It should be added that the above observations were made on 
plants growing on soil in a good state of cultivation, and abundantly 
supplied with plant food. 
Is Cutting the Eoots of Young Corn Plants Favoeable or Unfavorable 
to Crop ? 
Passing a cultivator between the rows of growing corn, in the 
manner usually practiced by the farmer, accomplishes two quite dif- 
ferent results, viz., it breaks up the capillary connection between the 
surface and deeper layers, and thus reduces evaporation from the soil, 
and it also destroys a larger or smaller proportion of the root develop- 
ment. The first of these effects is unquestionably beneficial. Is the 
second, in itself, beneficial or injurious ? 
In order to throw light upon this question, main plat Gr 10, contain- 
ing one-twentieth of an acre, was planted with corn May 13. The 
soil had been well prepared, but was not in a good state of fertility, 
and no fertilizer was applied. The plan was to eliminate entirely the 
influence of stirring the surface soil, by withholding all cultivation, 
and to root-prune the plants of each alternate row to, as nearly as 
possible, the same extent as would be accomplished by the average 
corn cultivator, at the same time stirring the soil as little as possible. 
The weeds were removed from the whole plat by hand. 
On June 6, when the young corn plants had attained the height of 
three to six inches, a lawn-edger was inserted to the depth of three 
inches on the four sides of each hill in every alternate row, keeping 
the tool three to four inches from the plants. Considerable rain 
(.76 inch) had fallen during the week previous, and the soil was 
abundantly moist. The plat was not again disturbed, except to pull a 
few weeds that appeared, until June 24, by which time the plants had 
attained about the size when they are usually cultivated the second 
time. A second root-pruning was now given, on the same rows, and 
in the same manner as the first. The soil was not very dry at this 
time, as 1.25 inches of rain had fallen within a week previous, .09 
inch of which fell on the morning of the 24th. No further attention 
was given to the plat except to pull the weeds as they grew sufficiently 
large to require it. 
The corn was not cut until all growth had ceased. On October 1, 
