The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1854-03-07
agraultural.
From the Southern Planter.
Experiments in the Tillage Of Indi-
an Corn.

1t is the practice of many good farmers to
break up their land for corn the preceding au.
tumn. My experience teaches me differently.
I have always found that blue grass turned over
in autumn, was not killed by frost, and gave
deal of cross. ploughing and other work in
spring, to get the ground in good order for
planting, and great deal more work in after
culture, than when the sod is turned under as
short time as possible before planting: be-
sides this, YOU lose your best pasture, for sheep
in particular from early frost in autumn, till
March; say, on an average, four months in ev-
cry year.
But when you break up corn land in spring
or autumn, it must be well done to insure
good crop The depth Of ploughing must de-
pend on two things; first the depth Of soil,
which should always be kept uppermost, end
secondly, by the ability of the farmer to use
two or three horse plough but at all hazards.
he must subsoil, ifhe expect to insure an aver
age crop in dry seasons, and lime, too, if his
land is deficient in that fertiizing auxiliary.
Supposng the ground to have been broken
as directed, and left in the rough state, till the
time of planting approaches, which is better in
dcated by nature than by the almanac, or than
any mans notion of particular day: for if you
plant too soon, that is, before the ground is
warm enough to sprout the seed quickly, you
will, assuredly, have much replanting 10 do,
which is sometimes attended with more labor
and expense than the first planting. If you
plant too late, the culture Of your corn will in
terfere with your clover and grain harvests,
and your corn may be injured by early frosts;
so that, as in most other acts of man, a middle
course is best for planting. In this and like
matters we may proftably follow natures
laws. | have found the budding and blossom.
ing of forests trees good criterion for planting
corn and sowing some seeds; for instance,
when the leaf of the tulip, or wild poplar tree
is the size of half dollar, Indian corn may be
safely planted, and when the chesnut blossoms
are fading, buckwhcat may be sown with fair
prospect of a good crop
As short time as practicable before plant
ing corn, the ground should be rolled and thor.
oughly harrowed* and then marked off for
planting at such distances as may be determin-
ed on, according to soi situation and climate.
/ plant as close as can. to allow room for af-
ter culture. The poorer the land, the closer
plant regulating the number of stalks to the
by the distance between the hills OF checkercd,
and the rows Of stepped or drilled corn.-
Twelve hours, at least, before intend to COM
mence planting my cornI dissolve half pound
Of copperas in some boiling water, into which
pour about gill of tar, add as much more
water as will make thirty gallons, then put the
seed corn in. Stir it well and allow the corn
to soak twelve hours at least. When ready
for planting take the corn out and let it drain
while; then roll it in plaster Of Paris, and put
five or six grains in a hill. 1t will not be long
coming up, nor much troubled by crows and
the like, and will seldom require replanting.
The next process, if the land was not sub
soiled when broken up, is, to run a naked,
sharp coulter as near the corn on each side as
horse can walk, and as deep as he can draw
it. This done, as soon as the first planting is
large enough to thin, run your two horse heavy
harrow over it, following at the same time,
with hand hoers to thin and draw little earth
about tie remaining plants. Without any 9TH
er cultivation than this, excepting handful of
plaster, wood ashes and lime, applied on the
hill, after covering, have made eleven barrels
Of corn to the acre, from several acres. As
general rule with me, the culture Of Iudian corn
after it is planted, consists in Surtace culture
altogether, taking care never to disturb the sod
if any was turned under, .and above all, never
stir even the surface of corn ground when wet.
A good general rule, alike indispensable to pre-.
serve the fertility of the land and to insure good
+lf guano or any Of the concentrated nanuros sown
by hand or lime to be used on the corn land hcy
hn nd "a lnfor