The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1913-06-11
WHY DO We
CUL7IVA7EC0RN?
Growers of Potatoes Should Write Ex-
detrimental States at Ames for
Bulletins on Spraying.
WHY PoTAToTEs NEED SPRAYING
Wallaces' Farmer Talks to Potato
Growers As Follows, Urging Care
in Handling the Plants.

! We have always, laid emphasis on
the necessity of inquiring, before We
undertake any kind of work, why we
do it, Why do we ploW in the fall IN
the sections of our territory where the
ground freezes in November and stays
frozen until March? Why do we pillow
in the spring in sections where we have
in some kinds of land at some times,
an open winter? Why do we plow deep
and why do We pillow shallow on other
kinds OF land or at other seasons? Why
do we drill winter wheat or spring
grains? Why do we SOW clover seed
and rape seed broadcast? Why do we
cover clover deep under certain con-
ditions? To undertake any kind OF
work without knowing why we do it
is to invite failure.
1t is not the time now inquire why
we pillow deep or shallow, but to in
quire why we cultivate corn. During
the month of June. in the central part
of our territory, the big job to be done
on the farm is the cultivation OF the
corn. Hence the biggest question be-
fore us just now is: Why do we cult
vate corn? There are three reasons
why. One reason which occurs to most
farmers is to kill weeds. If we do not
kill the weeds, they may take the corn;
or if not, they will at least use up the
fertility and the moisture; and will
produce more of their evil kind to give
us trouble in future years.
But there is another reason, and in
some years and some sections it is the
main reaSOn-tO conserve moisture.
Every farmer knows that if corn land
is allowed to become packed by heavy
rain, and especially after it has been
put in fine filth, corn does not do WE'LL
Why not? For two reasons: A crust
permits the escape of moisture at a
tearfully rapid rate. Heavy rains beat
the soil grains together, so that capil-
larty is very active. The grains are
dressed close against each other; there
is moisture below; the sun and drying
winds exhaust the moisture from the
surface, and the moisture below is cas-
lily pumped up out into the thirsty
air through this crust.
Another reason is that this crust pre-
vents the roots of the plant from hav-
ing sufficient air. Hence if we break
up this crust in order to keep the top
soil grains so for apart that the water
below can not climb out through them
to the open air, as oil climbs up
through the lamp wick to feed the
flame. Even if it does not rain, the
tendency of the soil grains, especially
in what we call heavy soils, is to
pack. We cultivate corn, therefore to
keep the soil grains so far apart that
those on top that are dry can not
reach down to the others to get a
drink.
There is a third reason for cultivat-
ing corn; that is, to develop plant food
not to create it. but to make plant
food available. These are the three
reasons why we cultivate corn.
The question arises: How deep
should we cultivate? That depends on
circumstances. If we were cultivating !
corn the first time before it is up, we
would cultivate about as deep as we
could j., so doing we would perfect |
the cG larry connection between the |
t. neu furrow and the soil beneath |
\, nich we usually call the subsoil, al
though that is not the proper name for
it. This would bring up to the light |
and air weed seed, to terminate and |
be killed by subsequent cultivation.
After that We would cultivate no deep
err than is necessary to kill weeds. OF |
course, if the weather has been wet |
and the roots OF weeds have gone down |
far into the soil, we would have to
go deep enough to kill them. But re-
member that corn is simply giant |
grass; that it has a tremendous root
system, and that before the corn is
knee high, the roots are interlacing
each other from row to row, and are
as near to the surface as the moisture
will let them come. Therefore, we
would not plow deep after the first
cultivation, or after the second if the |
first was made before the corn was
up. You might as we'll cut off the
leaves of the corn plant as to cut off |
its roots.
First, study by examination or by
reading bulletins of the experiment
stations, the root system of the corn
plant in order to know how deep to
pillow. In these later civilizations we
much prefer tool with blade that
will pass through the ground an inch
or two below the surface and destroy
the weeds without injuring the roots.
This is particularly true where the
land is infested with quack grass or
Canada thistle or bindweed, or any
other perennial weed that grows from
the roots as we'll as from the seed. If |
you have patch of quack grass or
Canada thistle in your corn field, and /
use a cultivator with a shovel on it.
you will simply tear it up, scatter it \
over the field and plant it again.
Whereas, if you use one of the tools /
that simply shave off the roots under
ground and let them drop back to be
killed by the hot sun, you can contin
the patches and prevent them from be
ing spread over the fields.
How often should you cultivate corn?
Just as often as you can, when the corn