St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1917-02-03

are aDuQQauL except one \ ~
for example), this one becomes Inc
limiting factor and methods OF sup
plying it becomes the important
means OF increasing the yield. IN
short, the secret OF successful corn
culture is to maintain a proper bal
ance OF moisture, heat, aid fertility.
Having laid down these essentials,
G. +. Hartley and l.. l.. Zook. OF the
Office OF Corn Investigations, Bu-
reau OF Plant Industry, IN Farmers
Bulletin 773, Corn Growing Under
Droughty Conditions, proceed to dis
cuss in detail methods by which this
balance can be maintained. The fol-
lowing facts are taken from this bull
letin, recently published by the Unit
ed States Department or Agrlcul-
ture.
Corn, the authors point out, pos
sesses characteristics which appear
to make it adapted to drought con-
ditions, and, on the other hand, mas
qualities which limit its possibilities
as q crop for semiarid regions and
call for special adjustmentss In
producing q given weight Of feed OK
dry matter. corn uses less water
than certain other crops, as oats,
clover, and alfalfa. 1t is deep roof
ed and can, il necessary, draw water
from a depth Of or feet. In hot,
dry weather the rolling OF the blades
reduces the loss OF water. On the
other hand, the heat requirements
and peculiar Towering habits OF this
crop make it less adapted to semi
har nt
age crops.
Corn makes its entire growth dur
ing the season Of highest tempera-
ture, growing best when the tAer-
mOmeter registers so degrees to IVV
degrees F. 1t can not grow III cary
spring or late fan, and It's growth l.
retarded during the summer Dy colo
nights or cold weather. 1t needs It's
greatest supply OF moisture duflns
the summer weeks when droughl@
are most likely and when arms are
less acknowledgements OF losses iron.
evaporation. In other words, tnt
heat requirement Of corn prevents
: growth at ines when moisture con-
ditions are likely to be most favor
able, while lack OF moisture fire.
Quently retards growth when heat
conditions are most favorable. The
problem, therefore, where heat is
great and moisture deficient, is to
store up moisture; and where mois-
ture is plentiful and heat deficient,
so to handle the soil as to prevent
moisture from lessening unduly such
heat as may be available.
In the case Of corn, which differs
In this respect from perfect flower
ing plants, the setting Of seed and
the filling Of the ears are seriously
interfered with by summer droughts.
Corn has two kinds Of flowers, the
tassel or pollen bearer and the seed
forming or silk-bearing flowers.
The pollen from one falling on the
silk of the other is necessary to the
development of grain. Droughty
conditions often hasten the shedding
Of pollen, but delay the appearance
Of silks. with the result that the pol
en- 10 mostly wasted. II fertilization
10 prevented in this way, no amount
of later rain can cause kernals to
form or make a good grain yield.
The corn crop is sometimes injured
by hot winds that do less damage to
such crops alfalfa and the grain
sorghums The problem here is by
the choice Of planting time and the
selection of early-maturing or late
maturing varieties to bring about
the double Towering of the corn at
times when drought is least liable to
interfere with fertilization.
Everything corn gets from the soil
IL in liquid form, and the crop can
not grow unless the soil contains
moisture to spare.
In our semiarid rego the soils
for the m st part are fertile, and the
limiting factor is either water or
heat. Raising corn may be likened
to raising steam in an en- inc. Too
much water lowers the temperature,
whereas too little water is danger
GUS. Growth can take place only
while there Is proper balance be-
tween heat and water. The two
must be in the soil at the same time.
Water falling as snow or rain before
heat is present should be stored in
the soil. The boiler should be filled
before the fire is started.
In northern sections and at high
attitudes the lack of heat limits corn
yields, while in southern sections it
is the lack OF moisture. Abundant
soil moisture reduces soil heat-de-
sirable in the South, but undesirable
In the North. Far north soil with
= wet surface is usually cold soil.
Here the conservation of heat is
more important than the conserva-
ton of moisture. Evaporation keeps
the soil cool Soil moisture rises to
the surface replace that which
evaporates. Cultivation checks the
rise of soil moisture to the surface,
enabling the surface to dry more
rapidly. The dry surface then be-
comes warm by taking in heat, which
otherwise would have been wasted
In evaporating water from below.
Corn cultivated late in the afternoon
may be frosted that night, while ad-
Joining uncultivated rows escape the
frost. The more rapid evaporation
caused by recent cultivation first
cools the surface, but as soon as the
surface dries. the soil becomes warm
quicker and the crop grows more
rapidly than it would have done
without the cultivation.
In northern localities, where lack
OF heat is q factor limiting corn
yields, summer following nd moist
ure conservation tend to keep the
soil cold and seldom give increased
yields OF corn. In southern locali-
ties, where lack OF moisture is the
limiting factor, summer following