Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-04-13
From The Farmers Register.
ON THE CULTIVATION OF CORN.
TO the Editor of the farmers Register.

10 the EuNOT Vi the L dtInet NeSlSter.
FAuoUrER, Feb a. 1885.
Ihave been a farmer for five years only, but
my mode Of cul,ivating my land differs from that u
sualy pursued and has returned me latser re-
ward than the same quantity of labor bestowed on
even better land | will communicate it to you. Inn
pressed with these truths
Tha, heat is a great destroyer Of land
Tina, deep ploushog is Indispensable
Tia, the roots of corn ought not to DC jured or
dIstnbej-and
That the corn crop ought to he so cultivated as to
make the best crop Of wheat accordins y have my
land broken up deep two & three good horses
can doi,. | require the sod to lie carefully turn
edas if for fallow for wheat. The ground Is then
well borrowed, the harrow running as the plough.
The usual mode is pursued in laying off with
very small shovel-plough. The corn is planted,
(iiom the 10Th of April, to the first of May) and as
soon as i, is hinned use cutivuols Of five teeth,
{set in as in triangular harro y, made Of harrow
ton-,he teeth h,t,ened for two i"ches, sharpcncd
and turned TO enter The ground. With these
implements my corn Is worked three and four times.
But il there has been much rain, that the grass
cannet be kept down by them, or it the ground be
very hard then direct the double shovel plough
(about MS long as the hand, and one third brcadcr)
to be used but 1t there be time after it, again use
the oultvao in order to level the land and prevent
Washing. In the use of both these i'm Elements, or
dcs are given NOT TO turn sod ups it be done, to
replace it.-By this mode very small portion of
the earth is exposed to the action Of the sun the
roots of the corn are not wounded, and can readily
ey,ent themselves in their search for food the mcs
ue Of the earth is longer retained the ground does
MT wash, an the fine vegetable mould made by he
rotten grass aud roots IS preserved from the sun for
tie nourlshnent OF the corn and the following crop
wheat
Having gathered my fodder in the old mode,
when ready for sowing wheat have the corn cut
and stacked in small stacks.-the same ploughs run
ung at the same depth with the ploushs used in the
sprin, On the land thus prepared, my wheat is
nwn and narrowed in. The crops of wheat are de-
cdcdly better than those put in with that mschicv
Gus slovel.plough, which (next to negro labor that
ever has, And cyerw carry desoaon and ruiz in its
rair, the greatest enemy to good crops and good
land that the human intellect can devise in the form
Of an implement of husbandry
This moe of preparing the land for wheat, has
these advantages. The decayed grass, &c. is thrown
to the op, nourshes the young wheat, preserves it
asalns, fros,s and winds, and when hard frcez
occur, owing to the depth Of the poughins, the wa
ter is dssipa,cd, and the body Of earth is too heavy
10 be affected by any but the scverest spells Of
weather. When the crop of corn has been proper
cultivated, and the ground prepared as above the
crop of wheat is not much inferior fallow CROP
The reasons must be obvious TO every one.
AS to the corn crop, am not left doub. of its
advantages over every other have heard Of
have ncrer Jailcd in a CROP II the season be wet,
| s''c water sinks to the SOL where, owing to the
grass and roots, i! is retained by them by absorp
ton, and is prevented from passing off rapidly.
The earth too, being more compact than when the
hovclpl0ush is used, the water is much more slow
y evapora,ed, and in hard rains, owing to this
Cause and the smocthness of the surface but little
Of tho soil is washed away.
In dought, when other fields Of corn are exhibit
ING is serious effects upon them, corr cultivated in
The manner above menlionej, shows but little, if
any injury from il. Whenever that destroying en-
envy, the shovel-plough is used in dry seasons, It's
INJURY to the crop is shown after each ploushlng, IN
VIC withered blades ard sickly color of the corn.
o~'ns to the lapth they run, the roots OF the corn
Ae,7o"nded, broken aud huddled together IN bunch
a',nssead Of being expanded through the ground
Us INC rsdii of circle.
Is It not surprising to how almost universal
The notion prevails, that it is scyuceable 10 break
,"e roots of corn 1-They do not seem to eomrre-
"c0d The Offices Of roots. One set of them is to sup
pull the plant these shoot out when the ear is form
MS and descend perpendicularly into the ground ;
"s Other, shooting out horizontally are purveyors-
"ey spread themselves through the ear'h IN
'a'ch OF food but il they are bruised or broken,
%Hey canne' do their duty, for they must first be
",''td TO enable them to DO it, and then being Tore
~ altogether they must receive less nour'shmcn'
w themselves and food for the stalks, than 1t 'hey
. ~" through circle, doubling in its diameter, any
VIC OF the roots. VIVA, would be thought OF the
.ason OF man, who declared il to be his opinion,
f., . practically enforced it, that the best mode OF
Nv I"so'ns bullock TO wound his tongue, d'sa-
AL, s Jaws, and break his teeth whenever he reach
~. "s eaatowards food 2-Can that means or rea'
20 better than his who maintains, that it is ad
''seous to the growth Of corn TO break lis roots