Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-03-09
ACRICILTTRN IL

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The Corn CI0p-IC3 uenSta4 AuaLds0ALOAC.
The time is close at hand when the far
mers will begin to plant their corn and as il
il a crop that is extensively cultivated in our
State, we think it right to give our views
upon its management, which Is the result of
our experience and observation, and NAV be
Of advantage TO SOME Of our readers. The
land which the farmer intends to plant in
corr, if it BE- close and compact in its nature,
should be broken up in the beginning Of vim
ter. and suffered to remain in this condition
until spring but if it be light it should not
be plowed until just before it Is ready for
manuring and planting. The manure which
is applied to corn should be put upon the
land broadcast. There are some farmers
who still object to this plan of lnanuring corn,
anG the general reason given by them is,
that ii requires too much manure TO a small
quantity Of land. LIN the application of ma
nure for any crop, tn Object should be to
permanently improve the land as well as to
benefit the present crop, and the application
ofmanure broadcast will more pffectual,y do
this, to corn or any crop whatever. Anoth-
err very potent reason in favor Of manuring
broad-c cast for corn is, that it is most apt to
receive benefit from the manure whenit most
needs it-that is while the car Is being for
med. When the manure is put in the drill
or hill the corn grows luxuriantly in the
beginning, and there Is a very large stalk
but at the time the ear is being formed the
corn is laid by, and the roots are branching
from row 70 row, feeding upon the poor soil,
We must bear i'll mind that vegetables have
not the locomotive power the same as ami
mails, which can go in search Of their food
but they are stationary, and hence the ne
cessiiy Of placing the food in that position
which best suits their wants. With regard
70 the time Of planting, we would remarl
that the seasons Of laie have materially chan
ged; from some cause, t~hcspring1 are nue.
more backward. and the farmer should b.
later in planting his corn. If the grain i
put in the ground while the soil is dam,
and cold from the winter rains. it will fail t
grow, and many times it will not. Instea,
of planning so very soon, more time SHOULD
be employed in preparing the land. RecoI
lect the old adage, "a lirle farm we'll titled
is better than a large field merely skimne,
over, and half worked. We think that 0
low land the first Of May is soon enough t
begin to plant corn, unless the farmer ha
moro under cultivation than he can till, q
is generally the case with our farmers. w
are decidedly in favor ofplanting corn in tn
drill and blowing it only one way, and as I
the distance and number of stalks, this in
great degree depends on the character Of II
land-thoueh corn must have distance OF
way, in order that there may be a free ci
"culation Of air through it, for vegetables, Iii
animals, do breathe, and must have a ft
passage Of air through them. We have con
now to the culture Of the corn, which is {
important to the growth Of a good crop
Most Of our farmers do much blowing in CT
tiS ating their corn ii Isl useless expend
ture Of labor, and to some extent in lures Il
land. When we plow corn the first time '
use only one furrow on each side and hoe
lightly ; the second time we use two furro'
on each side, and at the third or last plo
ing. we break the middle, entirely. BY Il
time a heavy growth Of weeds and grass ha
grown in the middle where the ground h
not been disturbed since the corn was plai
ed, and this Is turnedin which contains CO
siderable nitrogen and if the soil is void
vegetable matter, TO a great degree, 1t {
in this way he returned to it again. NJ
farmers in blowing their corn the last tiT
are much disposed to have a tremend,
ridge, which serves as they say, to supp
the stalk anil protect itfrom the heavy win
This is a mistaken idea entirely, for instc
Of the ridge serving to protect the corn,
pillow in passing near enough to form it, C
the very roots which have branched out fir
the row to serve as a support to the sta
The lateral roots are those which do most
supporting the stalk, bracing it at ey
point. The use OF the harrow is too mi
neglected in the preparing Of The land, as '
NJ in the cultivation Of the crop !; a 81
deal of labor might be saved by the more
quent Use of this utensil. 1t stood very b
with that most excellent farmer, Gen. W.
ington,-he was very careful to have on
farms p large number and those Of the
kind. The teeth to a harrow should be m
ofrod iron, and pointed, one set of wi
will last q long time many who use Il
at all have the teeth made of wood, which
minds us ofan old friend Of ours whom
OiSe "a" SetthS out HdhuIe WIN " WV
shovel, when he lived within 16 miles
town whore he could have bought good Q
lie called this economy, but we called it
hrightof extravaganza. This man, like m
others, had made something by farming.
he had done it NJ the expense of his
comfort. We like to have forgotten to r
ton the importance Of the use of the sub
plow when the list is being made, if the
mas a clay foundaiion-and none 0
would we cultivate. The sub-soil plow
Dc run in each Of the three burrows W
constitutes the list upon which the cor
planted. BY pursuing this plan for
-, sad u waG not seem sucha hea<g -