The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1855-05-16
Eirom Tire Missouri Valley Farmer
Two Experiments i'm
Cultivation.
l.--FonTY ACRES OF cons

1.-FOiTY ACRES OF CORN.
aThis was old corn land, which
had the previous year, under the uWH.
book system Of farming, produced %
10 80 bushels Of corn, and an indie
flute quantity Of weeds to the acre,
soil q light boam, deep, viii. clay
subsoil.
The ground was ploughcd II inch.
cs deep, and burrows nine inches wide;
narrowed and rolled; then drilled en-.
actly North and South. Drills four
feet apart, and planted five kernels in
~ place, two feet six inches apart
On the first llocing all but three
plaats were removed from each hill.
On the S,h day of May, ten acres
were planted with seed which had
been soaked in a solution Of three
pounds OF saltpctrc and two of cop
Icras. These ten acres yielded sixty
live bushels to the acre.
On the 18th and sixteenth of Nav.
ten acres more were planted with seed
soaked twenty four hours in the same
or Il similar solution. The yield OF
this was one hundred and Ilvc bushels
To the acre.
The remaining fifteen acres was not
planted until The 9th of June, when i,
was planted with seed which had been
stepped for thirty hours in u solution
similar to that before mentioned
Many knowing ones predicted that
this would be u failure-iL would come
to nothing. The result vas that from
these fifteen acres was harvested 1880
bushels of corn-or one hund,1d unti
tweire bushels to the acre!
Now about the after culture. AS
soo rs the plants were conveniently
above ground the ploughs were set to
work, followed by the hoes. This
time u light plough was run as close
to the plants as practicable, (and being
properly drilled, the rows we're per.
icctly straight,) and the earth turned
from the plant. Then tho men viii,
lues removed every remaining weed,
and looscned and lcvclcd tho earth
about the plants. This done, Il cult.
vator was run in the centre between
the rows to level the ground, and give
u finish to the weeds, which were show
ing themselves ia lcgions.
AS soon Us the field was thus gone
through, q second course was COM
mcnccd. This ploughing was the re.
verse Of the first; a slight tnrrow WAS
thrown TO the plants, and again the
men with hoes followed the plouglls,
dclnolishing the weeds and drawing o
small quantity Of fresh earth to the
plants.-Again the cultivatoy Mas run
between the rows as before.
by this time the weeds were pref
~ well mastered, and now y big
plough was brought into use, to which
were attached two powerful horses,
pA.ccd one before the other. III 90
ing through first, the landslide Of The
plough was held a few inches past
the middle between the rows, and on
coming back, the plough was run
about two inches deeper, the Landslide
again past the middle the other way.
This time n man followed the plough
10 relieve any. plants which might bc
borne down by the earth, and the
work was done till harvest.
2.-THHEE ACHES OF POTATOES.
Yl,is was upland, broken, soil much
the same as the preceding; had been
in The pasture for eight or ten years.
The ground Was broken up III the ear
ly part Of March, as deep as the
plough could be run; afterwards har.
rowed, rolled and ridged; the ridges
we're then split with a deep running
plough, and the potatoes dropped in
the bottom OF the furrow; eight inch.
es apart. The potatoes were cut, SO
us to lcaf&sswo good eyes to each set.
Refuse straw, wet or dry, was now
thrown over the potatoes, to the depth
Of several inches, and the whole deep.
ly covcred;with the plough.
The rows were %thirty;two inches
apart.
AS soon Us the sprouts began to ap.
pear ut the surface, the field was cross
narrowed, and during the season cult.
waited much a tho corn, mentioned in