Middletown transcript., 1916-12-16

to adjust the planter to each kind Of
corn to be planted. These are some Of
the many essentials that can be attend
ed to before the rush Of planting time
arrives.
Use Of cheekroWer.
Perhaps more corn Is now planted
by means Of a checkrower than by any
other device. This implement is ad-
Unstable, so that the spacing Of the
rows and the distance between the
plants or hills in the row can be regu-
lated to suit the requirements Of the
soil. By means of a wire chain
stretched across a field one man and
team can plant in straight rows in
both directions across the field IL or
Is acres per day, thus admitting of
ross-cultivation. Corn planted in this
way can be kept free from weeds and
well cultivated without costly hoe
ing of cutting of the weeds. A
summary Of numerous tests made
by various state experiment sta
tions shows that there is practi-
cally no difference in yield Of corn
planted in hills of several stalks each
or drilled so that the stalks stand sepa-
rately in the rows, provided there is
the same number Of stalks per acre
in each case. The former system facili-
tates cultivation, and the latter pro-
vides for more equal distribution of
roots throughout the soil. Checkrow-
ers are best adapted to large and COM
paratively level fields free from trees
or stumps. Hillsides and sloping
ground cannot be planted in checks
without increasing the liability to soil
washing.
Depth to Plant.
The proper depth to plant must be
governed by the quality and moisture
of the soil. II the soil is a stiff, heavy
clay containing plenty of moisture at
planting time, one inch is sufficiently
deep; but if it is a light, open, dry soil,
three or four inches is a satisfactory
depth. If the corn is planted deeper
than four inches much of the food sup
ply stored in the seed will be consumed
before the young plant can reach the
surface and expand its leaves. Plants
cannot be made to send their roots
deeply into the soil by planting the
seed deeply. They can be better for
titled against dry weather by planting
a furrow, covering it slightly, and then
gradually cultivating the furrOw full of
soil as the plants grow. This requires
some care, however, as the burrows
should not be filed to any great depth
until the plants have attained height
Of two feet or more and have eStab-
lished their root system at the desired
depth. This method of planting is eS-
pecially well adapted to deep soils
where dry weather is likely to prevail
during the middle or latter part of the
growing season. The lister, the i'm
plement with which large part of the
corn is planted in the prairie states,
fulfills the requirements Of this meth
cd of planting.
Some successful growers of corn
have found it profitable to use a two
row marker set the same width as
their checkrower. The checkrower fol-
lows in the deep burrows, thus secur-
ing all the advantages of both listing
and checking.
Replanting seldom increases the
grain yield. Cultivating up the first
planting and planting the entire field
the second time is better than replant-
ing poor stand.
Thinning.
For highly profitable crops heavy
planting and thinning are advisable,
though not always practicable in ex-
tensive planting. Thinning should he
performed as soon as the stalks are
too hard for cutworms to cut off and
before they are a foot tall. A fattened
broomstick or similar stick to which |
is fastened fattened piece of iron,
like two-inch chisel, is of great as
sistance in thinning, as it is necessary
to remove the stalks below the sur
face of the ground to prevent further |
growth. Slightly more stalks than a
perfect stand should be retained, so
that injured, diseased, or feeble stalks |
can be removed later without reducing
the stand below that required for the |
best grain yield. Such stalks should be |
as weeds and removed as |
soon q fhoirs Sc