MAIZE GROWING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1271, 28 October 1911, Page 15

MAIZE GROWING.

SOME VALUABLE HINTS. Speaking generally, says Mr. G. do S. iiaylis, in an articlo on co-operative field experiments with maize, in the "Journal of tho Department of Agriculture," the best crops during the past season havo been grown on land ploughed out of grass early in tho season. This seems to provide tho necessary amount of decaying matter in which maizo delights; ami wlie.ro old lands havo to be used, cowyard, stable, or suchlike manure will be found beneficial if procurable. As a general rule last seaion, where tho land had boon badly prepared ami no iiiterciiltivation given, mair.o was more or less a failure; while, where, the land had been well tilled, and even uo more than two cultivations given during tho early stages of growth, fair to very good crops have been obtained. A great deal of tho value of maize as a grsen feed is lost to the dairyman by the fact that it is often fed before it is sufficiently mature. To get a good fecdin.';valuo from tho maize it should not be fed before the corns upon the cobs are formed. It reaches its best feeding-value when the corns upon the cobs are becoming glazed, llene-* it is apparent, that fer use as oarly summer feed, only early varieties of maize are suitable. In ord<r to obtain maize of sufficient maturity for early and lato summer fseding, some farmers advocate procuring a medium-early variety, and sowing this at intervals during tho season' in order that thfl mnicemay not all mature at the same date. Instead of so doinjr it is far belter to take advantage of tho spring growth, and, by early sowing, allow all the plants to jet their roots thoroughly cfdtblishfd before the dry weather sets in. This desired end may be accomplished by sowing r«rlymaturing and litf-mafurin? varieties about the same date in the sprint;; and a sequence of green feed in the. proper .state j of maturity will thus bo obtn'ned. Among j the newly-introduced varieties recently tested the following havo jiven gcod results-.— Medium-oarlv variatie.i—North Dakota White Flint, Thcrobrcd Whit* Flint, Funk's Ninety-day, Yates's Moh'li, Urunning's Ked llogan. Among the Iste varieties are Jiriimiiiig's Somcrtoii White (medium late), Hickory King, Kclip-e, American lioonc County, Virginian Horsetooth, and Brazilian Flour-corn. The last, although not suited to all districts, is well worthy of further trial. In one or two instances a little seed has been saved from some of tho imported American varieties with a view to obtaining a certain amount of acclimatised seed for uso next season. A fairly complete manure probably answers best for maize when used as a forage crop; but it should bo remembered that in order to ensure good results from tho uso of manure, early ploughing is essential, as well as a moderate amount of intcrcultivation, during the oarly growth of tho crop. If tho best results are to bo obtained from. mai:;egrowing, it is essential that certain farmers, in each district should..adopt the American system of putting inn selected plot for seed purposes, and take every care to keep such variety pure. The neighbouring farmers in" each district should then draw all their seed from this district grower, and by thus using selected acclimatised seed, infinitely better results would be obtained in a few years' time.