Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-02-14
From the Soil of the South.
MODE OF cULTIvATING CORN.

Messrs. Editors: At the request of your
valued correspondent "Solon," I will give
you, briefly, my mode of cultivating my corn.
I have already given my mode of planting.
As soon as my corn has four leaves, l start
my plows and hoes in it. I run the furrow
next to the corn with narrow sub-soil scoot-
er, one inch and half wide at the point,
from seven to eight inches deep; as close to
the corr as II can get it, so as not to cover it
up. plow out the middles with subsoil
scooters, three inches wide, close and as deep
as the burrows are which side the corn. I
follow with my hoes, reduce my corn to
stand, and cover up the young grass around
the young stalk, using just sufficient dirt to
cover the grass, chop down the bushes and
trees-so much for the first working.
In about twenty-one days, start my plows
again This time plowing, I use altogeth-
er the three inch subsoil scooter I run the
furrow next the corn just as deep and close
as the roots of the corn will permit, say from
six to seven inches deep, and the middles
the same depth. My rule for plowing mid
dies is to run one furrow so near into the 9TH
er as to leave the surface smoother, or level.
So much for the second plowing.
In about three weeks, give it my third
ploughing And if we have had no baking
rains, I plow this time with sweeps; if hea-
Wy rains have fallen, use shorels, but do
not plow deep but close. When I use sweeps
(do not mean solid sweeps, I do not use
them at ally I run next to my corn with a
twelve inch sweep, and plow out the middles
with sweep eighteen inches from point to
point. My fourth and last working. I use
my large sweeps altogether. Flowing very
shallow, opening my water furrow as we'll as
l can with sweep. Ifollow with my hoes,
levellins the earth around the corn, cutting
all the grass and bushes which the plow may
have left within the field. This briefly in
cludcs my mode, without any arguments, of
my making corn. I am strong advocate
for deep planting, deep plowing the first and
second time, and the level culture. have
an abundant reason to be pleased with my
mode of cultivating corn. l have made G.
nough to last me all the year, (thank the
Lord for iD and some to sell to the ",Skin,-
merS" who have been making no small a.
mount ofsport of me for plowiug, as they call
it,. "trenches or gul1ies to plant my corn tn."
The drought in the spring did not affect my
corn in the least, though some of my neigh
bors' suffered seriously
I tried the experiment the past season
which l will give you and it may 60 for what
it is worth l had small field which
planted as I did my other corn. gave it
Il thorough plowiug and hocing when a.
bout half leg high. 1 did not do anything
more in it until it was punching for tasel-
ling, then gave it another good plowing
and hoeing and it made as good corn as 1 had
upon my farm. l prepared another field
planted as usual, only this was planted the
first of May; when knee high I gave it a
deep close plowing, auda good hoeing; when
breast high give another hoeing only, and
it made me fine corn. This was on the third
years land,