Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1851-01-28
'8ge fsrmer
From the Culttrator.
Clean Cultivation,


tos enlirely removed, root and branch, as to
Dave il ploughed and hoed ten years, and
no vegetable whatever, permitted to organise
earb IN, nisrogin, and the clemens Of water,
and the minerals which form The ashes Of
corn, couon and wheat in The field --Don-
-Iiel Lee, page 354, Nep York Transactions
tor 1850.
|I Aside of this, permit me to place
a statement made by a neighbor of
mine, a few days since, NJ. r. Stan
ley-] He planted for a peighbor and
friend, last year, twentyNacres of corn
| think it was twenty] by ndging
up the land into beds. then opening
out water filrrow, and planted the
corn in that furrow. The owner of
the crop had not the time from his
regular business to work the corn: it
vas thinned, and the ridge s6raped
down once; nc other work-no
ploughing at all Yield twenty
bushels per aero land very good.
He has planted hi 5 entire crop thus,
and intends to culs ivate Preciselythe
same way [ END uired how he was
induced to Try it. His answer was:
"a neighbor Of ours, J. f. Watson,
Ian cid, well tried planter] had done
this to 8 row corn ana peas as a stock
feed, anIl there was about half crop
Of corn.
I kne " negroes belonging to faith
er-in-law to plant corn without even
ploughing tile land-a piece Of rich
bottom land, where a good burn had
been made the corn planted in
holes made with the grubbing-hoe,
and from SIX to ten grains dropped
in each hole. This corn was never
Trimmed, nor hoed, n6r were the weeds
ever knocked down, and there was
I etter yield than have seen on good
| md by the cpastant deep plough
ing system. This was in 1880 or 80
and | do not NOV remember what we
t bought the yield was per acre.
[ have no desire Of encouraging
such chance cultivation, but | ask
where is the wisdom in Keeping land
80 entirely bare of vegetation the
Year round2l If Dr.. Lee is correct,
Why not the principle in our plant
iHg2 Who says he is not correct,
and who dare attempt to prove its
falsity?
Corn planted on the first of March
in latitude 80 deg. ought to be in
rpasting car BY the first to 18th Of
July, and shonld have its last work
ing, 1 think, earl i in June, and pre-
FIJI May. But the land should be
pl4ughed deep, and well cultivated
Until that date; then sowed with peas
oil -half to three-quarters of a bush
el per acre, Before The peas can In
iAre corn flat has been thus pushed,
the corn viii be made, and we will
Have peas at " ork in organising car
bon, nitrogen, SC, for the next crop.
II you have no peas to plant, give
the land a thorough cleaning at the
time when in bunch, prior to the tas-
ST. coming in sight, and then let the
gfl ss d nd weeds grow.
1t May be asked; who objects to
tlIis? | reply, generally the planters
and Others who pass a corn fiald that
is very grassy, even when thy corn
is dry that there has heelAbad cul-
ture; that the corn would have been
much better, & showing that clean
land is thought best.
Judge Pierce holland, of Warren
county, Mi IS, keeps the cleanest
plantation | ever saw. | have seen
five or SIX hundred acres in cotton
that billy goat would starve in if
not permitted to eat cotton, fence /
rails OF stumps. No grass any where
in fence corner, creek bank Of /
field proper. The land lies beauti- I
fully, and was very productive, but |
Think ten years culture has told /
most fearfally upon it. The Judge .
has made a fortune by his own labor,
is a superior planter, and | know no
man that can excel him, to follow
his ideas Ny opinion is plough deep
cultivate well, and lay up corn early \
work cotton late, push Gotten and
corn early; after cotton has begun TO
branch of, do not stir so often as to
keep the ground '4ike a garden
Young grass and weeds cannot
iniure the crop, but keep them so
small that a sweep or even a harrow
viii destroy them Cultivating
corn crop eight or ten times
viii destroy the richest land | ever
saw; but do not run to the opposite
extreme, a medium is the best-se a