The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1855-05-16
From tie Missouri valley furmc,
TvyO Experiments i'm
Cultivation.
1.-rOHTY ACRES OF CuHN.

l.-ioKI1 ASNES tE VIVA
"This was old corn land, which
had the previous year, under the onH.
dook system OF farming, produced 20
10 80 bushels Of corn, and III indie
iiuite quantity oi weeds to the acre,
soil u Iigkt bvam, deep, with clay
subSoil.
The ground was plougl,cd II inch
cs deep, and burrows nine inches vide:
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 lluciny all but three
plants were removed from each hill.
On the Sth day of May, ten acres
we're planted with SEED which mad
been soaked i'll "a solution of three
pounds Of saltpctrc and two OF cop
rcras. These ten acres yielded sixty.
five bushels to the acre.
On the 10Th and ~SiXtecntll Of May.
ten acres more were planted with seed
soaked twenty four hours in the same
uT ii similar solution. The yield OF
this was one hundred and i've bushels
TO the acre.
The remaining Fifteen acres was not
planted until the 9th Of June, when it
was planted with seed which had been
stepped for thirty hours in Il solution
similar to that before mentioned
Many knowing ones predicted that
this would he u fAilure-it would come
to nothing. The result was that from
these fifteen acres was harvested 1850
bushels OF corn-or one huHh1I und
tweire bushels to the acre!
Now about the after culture. AS
soon as 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 the men with
hoes removed every remaining weed,
and looscncd 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 i" lcsions.
AS soon us the field was thus gone
through, 4 second curse WAS com.
mcnccd. This plougling WAS the re.
verse of the first: q slight turrow was
thrown to the plants, and again the
men with hoes followed the pioughs,
dcmolishing the weeds and drawing q
small quantity Of fresh earth to the
plants.-Again the cultivatoy "as run
between the rows us before.
by this time the weeds were pref
~ we'll mastered, and now u big
plough was brought into use, lo which
were attached two powerful horses,
phccd one before the other. III 60
ing through first, the Landslide Of The
plough was held q few inches past
the middle between the rows, and ON
coming back, the plough was run
abont two inches deeper, tho Landslide
again past the middle the other way.
This time a man followed the plough
10 relieve any. plants which might DC
ooIlIC uoNH ny VIC CuILI, uHu TIC
work was done till harvest.
2.-TIIl;EE ACRES OF POTATOES.
This wus upland, broken, soil much
the same rs the preceding; had been
i'll the pasture for eight or ten years.
The ground Was broken up il the u
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 q deep running
plough, and the potatoes dropped in
the bottom OF the turrow; eight inch.
cs apart. The potatoes we're cut, SO
rs to leaSstwo good eyes to each set.
Refuse straw, wet or dry, vas now
thrown over the potatoes, to the depth
Of several inches, and the whole deep
3y covcredswith the plough.
The rows were %thirty7two inches
apart.
AS soon as the sprouts began to ap.
pear at the surface, the field was cross
narrowed, and during the season cult.
waited much rs the corn, mentioned in