Rural Heritage April/May 2026

On heavy clay soils that tend to "bake," cultivation may often increase the supply of available moisture by keeping a loose, open layer of soil on top to absorb rainwater and allow it to soak into the soil for the use of the crop instead of letting it run off the surface. On poorly-drained, compact soils frequent, fairly deep stirring often does much along the lines listed as (3), (4) and (5) at the beginning of this section. The relation of weeds and moisture to corn cultivation is well illustrated below by data taken from Bulletin 181 of the Illinois Experiment Station, giving average yields in bushels per acre obtained on two plots. Thus, weeds and not moisture represent the important factor in corn cultivation; and the best practices are, therefore, those which rid a field of weeds with the least injury to the corn plants. Deep and shallow cultivation. No fact concerning corn production is better established than that, under ordinary conditions, shallow cultivation gives best results. In general, cultivation may be deeper and closer to the plants early in the season before the roots have extended far. Late cultivation should be shallow and, where drainage is good, should leave the soil as level as possible.

Draft Farming Implements since 1974

Model #715

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