Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-02-14
MODE OF SELECTING MY SEED Corn, &c

MODE OF SELECTING MY SEED Corn, &C.
When I commence pulling my corn, I Sc
lect two of my most trusty fellows, and act
60 to the best spots of corn, and we select
from the stalks of corn which has two ears
upon them. We take the largest and best
filed ear; where both ears are large we take
both. And if we find stalk with one ear,
unusally large, we take that. We take corn
thus selected, slip-shuck it, and tie two ears
together and swing them across stick and
hang them up in the roof of some house,
where the corn will be kept dry until spring.
When want seed corn for planting, I have
it taken down and shucked. Ienamiae eve.
ry ear myself both as to color and sound.
ness, as we'll as shape Of grain. If am
pleased with it, I then, with hatchet, cut
off the small end, sap one third of the ear,
the balance I have planted. I do not be.
lieve candidly, that I have one rotten ear on
an Average IN thousand whether it is at
tributable to my mode of culture, or of Sc.
lecting my seed corn, or to both, I will not
say; but what I have stated is emphatically
true.
For two years I have grown three kinds Of
corn. The white, deep grain gourd seed,
which I like very much for bread. The grain
is soft and sweet, but will not remain in the
field so we'll as the yellow gourd seed with
out being damaged by the weevils. The yel-
low gourd seed, all things considered, I have
no doubt is the best corn we have for stock
of all kinds, and will remain in the field, Of
an ordinary year until christmas without any
injury. Beside the yellow gourd seed, I
have another kind like very much. I re-
ceived it from relative up the country, who
brought it from Tennessee. The grain is much
broader than the gourd seed, equally as deep
and white, but much harder corn and keeps
nearly as we'll as the yellow gourd seed.
In conclusion, will you indulge me in q
few reflections upon the culture of corn, and
I make them with due Difference to the opin-
ions of some of our ablest writer's, and none
more so than the senior editor of the Soil
cfthe South.
1st. But few planters take the trouble to
prepare their land, as they ought, for the
reception of their grain. I will here quote
the remark made to me once by Maj. Alex
ander. I had been elected Shorthand had
just entered upon the duties of my Office
when he made this remark to me. Said he,
"Abner," "1y you abish to succeed soeU in
your responsible oc6e, you must beginright."
The advice has been my motto in all my un-
dertakings. In the commencement of the
crop let us be sure to pzo,0 deep and plant
deep. Use the subsoil scooter or the coulter
in our first plowing-pulverise the earth to
the depth of six or eight inches at least, SO
that the roots of your corn may "burrow" SO
deep that an ordinary drought will not in
the least affect the growth Of your corn. In
conversation last spring with Doctor who
prides himself on making corn be made this
remark to me. Said he "you are blowing
your corn deeper than is of any use or ad-
vantage" for he continued, "the corn roots
do not gro,0 too inches belO'O the surface Of
your land, plow it as deep as you may
My corn was then from half leg to knee
high. A few days after this conversation was
had We had heavy shower of rain, with con-
siderable wind, which blew tree across
one of my bitches, the bank gave way, and
the water washed up, considerable corn, and
I was not little surprised at the depth I
found those corn roots had penetrated, as
we'll as their length. I found them as deep
in the earth as my subsoil plows had pene-
trated, and reaching across the row. So
much for deep planting and deep plowing.
I'd. 1t is my opinion that corn properly
planted does not require more than two good
plowings and hoeings and one sweeping
Plant corn about the last of February, and
as soon as you finish planting corn, give your
corn thorough plowing, and having redu-
ccd it to a stand of course. In four weeks
give it another good plowing-and in four
weeks more g i've good sweeping and hoo
ing, and lay it by. l have tried part of
my crop, for two years, cultivated in this
way, and I have made as good corn in every
respect, as I ever have by any other mode
of cultivation. We generally have our hea-
Wy baking rains before the time arrives for
the second plowing.
But I would again urge upon all planters
the fact that the preparation for planting,
together with the first plowing, conceive
the most important workings the crop gets.
Do those well by all means. If you do not,
the injury done to the crop is almost irrepa-
rable. 1t requires but very little more time
to do any thing 'reA than it does to half do
it. And one good plowing is worth two sor-
ry ones. hope you will pardon this crude
communication. I have written it at inter-
walls while engaged in watching by the bed
side of sick child.
As ever, your old friend. ABNER.