Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1913-04-24
Farmer S Corner.
Preparation, Planting and Guilt
walton Of The Corn Field.

armers much uneasiness about
orn planting, and, as a result,
nay lead to much corn being put
INTO the ground before the soil is
thoroughly prepared to receive
the seed. This practice would
prove to be a mistake. Ordina-
rily, with proper care and cult
walton, no serious concern over
results need be had if corn is
planted in Kentucky any time
between April 25th and May
18th.
In preparing clay soils for corn,
especial care should be taken rot
to work the land when SO wet
that pudding will take place or
that baking will follow. The
disk harrow is generally the best
tool to follow the pillow and after
this some form of smoothing har-
row should be used, repeating
the narrowing until a smooth
and very finely pulverized with a
roller, or sometimes a good drag
may do this work well. It should
be added that each day blowing
should be sufficiently worked and
smoothed on the same day to pre-
vent the evaportion of soil mois-
ture which will be much needed
later by the corn crop. The eX-
ira work Of unhitching from the
plow and hitching to the harrow
will be more than compensated
by beneficial results to the crop
and the greater ease of get
ting the ground in good condi-
ton.
The best time to plant corn
the seed bed being well prepar-
eds whenever the soil is warm
enough and moist enough to in
sure quick termination of the
seed. According to Hunt in
THE Cereals in America" the
temperature at which maize will
terminate most rapidly is from
81 to SO f. Probably in practice
field corn is nearly always plant
ed before the soil has reached this
temperature, but the time OF
planting should be sufficiently
late at least to escape all danger
from freezing and frost. The
old time notion that the changes
Of the moon have some bearing
upon successful corn growing is
DOW eAtireky d eiseE Meth
er science nor practice longer
support this theory. Corn should
be planted from one and one-half
to three inches in depth, varying
with type Of soil and moisture
conditions. Shallow planting is
preferable where the moisture
content of the surface
soil insures good termination,
Under normal conditions it is
best to plant the rows three and
a half feet apart, to row both
ways, and to plant from three tC
four kernels to the hill, depend
ing upon the fertility of the
soil.
Corn is a plant which requires
much water for its growth
Hence to produce the best crol
possible it is necessary to keel
down all weeds and to proven
the evaportion of moisture iron
the surface of the soil. Thes,
two things may be accomplished
by good methods of cultivation
When the soil is not to wet, it i
a good practice to run a spik,
tooth smoothing harrow, or SOM
form of weeder over the corn feel,
three or four days after planting
This will destroy most Of tn
early weeds, besides breaking
any crust which may have form
ed over the terminating seeds
This work would often endange
the young plants if done late
than four days after planting
The first regular cultivation
should be given five or six day.
after the corn is up, and there
after civilizations should be re
peated after each rain and be.
sides, often enough to keep dowr
all weeds. Shallow cultivation
forming a surface soil mulch
is the best for a dry season, whit
even during wet times the cult
walton should be in no case dee
enough to break the roots of tn
norm nlonts Dnrino tho firS