The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-23
FE:ARN0TFR0ST
BUT PLANT CORN
or SOUND HEART
Valuable Discovery Made in
This Section by Depart
ment of Agriculture
(By C. P. Hatiey, U. S. Department Of
| Agriculture)

By C.P. Hatley, U. S. Department of
Agricultural
| Early fall frosts every few years
cause enormous losses of corn in the
northern third of the United States.
Each September, there is feeling Of
fear. that frosts may come ten days
earlier than usual and prevent the
corn from ripening. Every fall, mil
lions of people are hoping that the
first fall freeze will be delayed ten
days longer. This anxiety and this
oft-recurring loss due to fall frosts,
can be largely prevented by earlier
planting.
Concerning. the ability Of corn to
! Withstand low temperature, some work
conducted during the past three years
lby the Office of Corn Investigations OF
the U. s.. Department of Agriculture
in Southern, Central and Northern
States, has brought out points of prac-
teal value. Points which can now he
profitably applied in the northern
third of the United States are:
Il Seed corn that natures properly
and is thoroughly dried as soon as
mature and kept dry will give strong
termination.
can be planted several weeks earlier
than ordinary seed. Ordinary seed
will rot where proper seed will not.
Valuable points in connection with
seed of strong termination are it's
ability to stand planting earlier, to
utilize more fully the growing season,
to mature earlier and to produce
larger and a better matured crop.
g. Very early planted corn makes
slower growth above ground than
late planted corn, is not so tender and
Consequently not so badly injured by
spring frosts,
A. In general, earliness of maturity
means smallness in size and yield. 1t
is a, mistake to choose the earliest
maturing varieties where a larger and
more productive variety can be rip
ened by earlier planting.
With seed corn of strong germina-
ton (Which is not as scarce as usual
this spring., it is not advisable to walt
until danger from frost is past before
planting. The ten days more of grow
ing weather so anxiously needed in
the fall can he secured by planting
several weeks earlier than usual.
With seed of. strong termination, no
fear need be felt because of cold soil
or frOStS. A gOOQ root SrOWLn Will
take place and the growth above
ground will be so slow that it will
withstand cold weather and frosts
better than later planted corn.
Thick paintings should he made, SO
that although the weakest plants are
killed by frosts and insects destroy
some a sufficient number of the most
vigorous plants will remain to main
tain a full stand. After planting, the
soil surface should DE kept dry and
warm by frequent civilizations.
In the District of Columbia, good
stands have been obtained from plant
ings made In February where the
ground froze several times after
planting. In North Dakota, good
stands have been obtained from plant
ings made in April and in northern
Ohio. one hundred bushels of mature
shelled corn per acre have been pro-
duced by plants whose leaves were
frozen off after the plants had at
tanned a height of twelve to eighteen
inches.
1t is the fall and not the spring !
frosts that should be feared.
Early planted corn natures earlier
and usually yields better than later
planted corn. Earlier planting will
result in larger and better crops in
the northern third of the United
States and cause sufficiently early |
ripening to reduce the enormous
losses which frequently occur through
failure of the corn crop to mature be-
fore growth is stopped by frost.