Corn growing

Abstract

<p>Five different varieties of corn were grown under varying conditions on the Experiment Station grounds during the past season, with a view to testing varieties, fertilizers, green manuring, and different methods of cultivation. The varieties grown were Mammoth Cuban, Early Mastodon, Red Cob Ensilage, King of the Earliest, and Capital.</p> <p>The Mammoth Cuban and Red Cob Ensilage varieties were planted April 29th, the Early Mastodon on May 6th, and the King of the Earliest on May 7th, all on fall plowed ground, thoroughly cultivated and harrowed before planting, and rolled immediately after, as the soil was very dry. Scarcely any rain fell for three weeks following and the growth during this time was quite slow. On May 7th we began plowing under five acres of winter rye, then about eight inches high, for corn. The plowing was finished on the 9th, and a harrow followed the plow each day to prevent excessive drying and evaporation. One-hundred and sixty-three loads of well-rotted barn yard manure were applied at the same time and cultivated and harrowed in. In this condition the ground was planted four inches deep with Capital corn (an improved Learning variety), in drills about twelve inches between the kernels, with a single horse Champion drill planter,on May 12th and 13th. The ground was rolled immediately after planting and harrowed as soon as the corn began to come up, which was about ten days later. On May 13th, one acre adjoining the five acre plat was plowed, and on May 14th it was planted without manure. On the latter piece the rye had attained a height of about 14 inches. The plowing was all done at a depth of six inches, in order to cover the rye crop well and to insure its being far enough below the surface to prevent interfering with the cultivator. Both pieces were cultivated exactly the same during the entire season. All of the corn ground, on account of the severe drouth of May, was cultivated shallow the first time with an Albion spring-tooth ten shovel cultivator and harrowed with an A shaped harrow that covered two-thirds of the space on each side of a row without coming in contact with the corn. Following this, deep cultivation was given with an ordinary cultivator until the last time over, when a seven-shovel adjustable single horse cultivator, set to just cover the space between the rows, was used. This cultivator ran shallow and left the ground between the rows level. Most of the corn the last time over (July 10 to 15), was too large to have been cultivated in the ordinary way.</p>