The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-03-08
AGRsGUz RURAL.
Glssaaao nlnd Iel;lsaer ON Corn
saAnG Glover.

some account OF an eSpcrill ehI lliauc
by lis in the course Of the last year,
with Guano and Plaster on corn and
The corn land experimental
5on, was ten acres of o field of about
shirty-tlle whole much exhausted.
and turned out some years since, and
hence grown up in sedge and poverty
grass. That part manured we consid-
cred the poorest part of the field. In
the previous winter the land we plow-
ed with one Of Ruggles, Morse, &
Mason's Centre draft plows, which run
from 5 to inches deep, and complete
ly reversed the sod. This plow was
followed by q one-horsc sub-soil CROP
her, which run some three or four inch
Ses deeper, making in the whole from
eight to ten inches. The soil Of the
part experimental on, is somewhat
light, having due admixturc of sand
The subsoil a stiff red clay. The land
thus prepared lay until the usual time
of planting, when it was laid off with
ashort narrow plow, at distance of
five feet distance, and in this furrow,
the corn was planted three feet apart
N3oni the row, and covered by ridging
lightly on it; care being taken rot to
disturb the light coat Of vegetable
matter that had been buried by the
turning plow. And we will here state
that, for the same reason the crop was
cultivated altogether superlcially with
the RYftiyator and sweep one time
EACH with ono hoeing. Mark Mis
brother farmers, and reflect how much
labor might be saved i'll the culture of
our crops by properly preparn ng the
iand. For we assure you, irom our
own experience, that land having but
alight coat of vegetable matter OH it,
thus prepared will need no goio,o in cul.
] tiyating the crop--for, even if it is
isatitf and adhesive, itWill not run to,
! q, q eitiSe se5oNd. th,rd
Epr fourth y q 81 n;
thst forms ri, tie s,lrttttftsI K
5snd should, be Jr9ken. WITH SGNuiStiva-
tor, harrow, or sweep only; and with,
either of which the ground may be
passed over rapidly and with compara-
lively light labor to both men and
horse. Excuse this digression, and
we will proceed to state how our ma
nuro was prepared, applied, and the
results. preparing our compost we
used the Peruvian guano and plaster
Of Paris, ground, coal dust, or rather
the scrapings from the coal-hnusc hoor,
which was passed through coarse
seive, and leached ashes, in the follow
ing order and proportions. First,
bushel Of coal dust (as we shall term
it) spread to about two inches thick
ness; second, one gallon (l-2 pcck)
guano, spread uniformly over the coal
bed; third, the same quantity (prpba-
bly, twice as much as was necessary
OF plaster; fourth, one bushel of coal
dust; fifth, half bushcl Of lcachcd ash
es. The same course was continued
until the quantity Of guano and plaster
procured was exhausted. The heap
thus formed, remained undisturbcd
for two weeks, when it was shovclcd
Uver--which we were convinced at,thc
time Should have been done earlier, il
order to prevent tie selling Of the
plaster, which we were not able again
to reduce to q powder. This setting
we presume was occas onally by the
moisture imbibed from the damp coal
dust, and might have been prevented
By siIoFelling over the heap immcdi-
ately after it was finished.
The APPLICATIONS this mix
sure we spread in q circle of is to
24 inches diameter, around each hill cf
corn, when from six inches to a foot
high, one Jill, and followed with a
light running cultivator, rs near on
each side Of the corn as could be not
to tear itup. This partially covered
and mixed the compost wit. the
soil. In this state it was left, though
n drought Of sonic weeks, without ap-
parent benefit. After the first rain,
however, we saw that the corn was
taking the start Of that in the same
field not manurcd. 1t continued to
gain on it to the maturity of the
crop, and resulted in gain of 33 per
cent. over the unmanured portion.
Which was ascertaincd by gathering
two rows manurcd, leaving two, one
nanured and one unmanured, and
gathering the next two mmanurcd.
Ihe corn was measured in the ear on
is and the manurcd rows not only
nlcasurcd more, but was better in ap
I pcarauce than that from thc unmanu-
red rows.
BY calculation it will bo ascertaincd
that the quantity of 10th gnuno and
plaster applied to the hill was but the
one eleventh part or a jill, or one
twenty y,second part ofa jill Of each
Consequently, there being 292 hills,
siyc.by three, in All acrc, it will re,
qlIire about lalf:t bushcl Of each gu
allo alld. plaster to an acre.
CLovEK.---Of The above mixture we
spread Ave and q half bushels OH one
4 agre ot,rsd clover, which was equal to