Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-07-03
Depth of Corn Cultivation.

OSRAu Va will S4AGvoShOsss
Has any experiment station worked
out the problem as to the real damage
done to corn by deep cultivation?
would like to know what effect deep
and shallow cultivation has on the yield
of corn, other conditions being equal
George j. Dwight, Franklin County, o.
The most complete account of the
work of experiment stations in the coun.
try on corn culture is by Prof Thomas
F. Hunt of Cornell University. His
book, entitled Cereals in America. pub
lished by Orange Judd Co., and sent
postpaid for Sl.75, should be in the
hands OF every farmer. The following i.
taken from the chapter on corn. II
answers Mr.. Dwight's question. 1t has
been clearly demonstrated that any
mutilation of corn roots has an injurious
effect. At the Illinois station pruning
three to four times during the ordinary
season on all sides Q inches from the
center of the hill 4 inches deep, reduced
the yield of grain from 10 to 32 per cent
The greater percentages of decrease
were during seasons of least rainfall.
Pruning inches deep one season caused
a decrease of ) per cent.
The Oklahoma station found during
one season no injury from running q
knife inches deep inches from the hill,
or 6 inches deep % inches from the hill,
but when the knife ran inches deep q
or II inches from the hill, the yield was
much reduced. The New York state
station found a decrease in grain of 2e
per cent and in stover 20 per cent during
a dry season, pruning inches deep 3 to
4 inches from the hill. During rainy
season pruning in the same manner the
second and last time, when plants were
only 10 inches high, decreased the yield
of grain II per cent aud the stover % pei
cent.
DEEP VS.. SHALLOW CULTIVATION.
While the experiments in root pruning
suggest that decided injury would re-
suit from deep culture, they do not show
what influence stirring the soil might
have in counteracting snch injuries.
Sixty-one tests of deep cultivation, at l3
stations, gave an average yield OF 10
bushels per acre, decrease of l3 per
cent, due to deep cultivation.
Most of the stations have considered l
to inches deep, shallow cultivation,
and 4 or more inches deep, deep cultiva-
ton. In some of the trials where the
deep cultivation was found the best,
notably at the Wisconsin station, deep
cultivation was only three inches deep.
Studies of root growth of corn, made
at the Illinois station, indicate that 5O
per cent more roots may be cut of at 4
than at 3 inches deep. While the evil
dence seems to show that the breaking
of the roots while the plant is less than
9 inches high, is not so serious as at
later periods of growth, and that plow-
ing deep at the first cultivation is not so
Injurious as at a later date, yet on the
other hand, evidence does not indicate
any special benefit from such deep cul-
ture in the majority of cases.
The injury from root pruning has
generally been greater than injury from
deep cultivation. This may be due to
stirring the soil. During five years the
Illinois station cultivated plat 2 inches
deep and inches deep, while on an ad-
jacent plat the weeds were removed by
scraping the surface with sharp hoe
without breaking the crust of the earth.
The average yield was, deep 90 bushels;
shallow, y; none, 6S bushels. During
two years on one plat, where weeds were
allowed to grow, no corn was obtained
This experiment has been verified oy
the New Hampshire and Utah stations.
No advantage has been found in cultivat,
ing corn after the plant is 3 to 4 feet
high, provided it is free of weeds at that
time: and cultivation to prevent su6se'
quent growth of weeds has not material
ly increased the yield, and when cul-
tivation was deep, has decreased it.