The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1859-06-29
CULTIVATION or INDIAN CORN.

" CT every laDus
CULTIVATION OF INDIAN CORN.
OI the importance Of Indian corn to the
American Farmer nothing need be said. IL
Is 81 more value even, IN national point Of
view, than wheat. No cereal cultivated in
temperate ATTITUDES affords per acre so much
nutritious food for man OF beast. In one
sense, too, il is ''fallow crop" as it ai-
fords an opportunity Of cleaning the land By
the horse-hoe while growing. On the rich,
new lands Of the West, we NAV apply to corn
what has been well said Of the turnip in
Great Britain. cit is the sheet anchor of
our agriculture" We fear, however, that il
differs from the turnip in one very important
respect. lis growth does not increase the
amount oil nitrogen or ammonia in the farm.
Il is a crop Tor rich land--land that is too
rich, too low, and too loose for wheat. 1t
will flourish on the best wheat land but
wheat will not succeed well on the best corn
land. To grow corn on land that will pro-
duce good wheat, is not. as general rule, to
be commended.
We have said that corn will succeed on
land too low for wheat. This is true but
corn requires dry soil. II is a mistake to
suppose that all high land is dry and all low
land wet. MIR. Swan. near Geneva, n. ",
who has laid over ffty miles Of drain tiles on
his farm, found that the highest parts Of his
firm required as much again draining as the
lower portions. On low land, few open
litches are often sufficient to carry on all
the water; but on springy hill.side, tho.
fnuuI uudgrIr
Land for corn must be dry. We recOl-
lect of walking through magnificent field
d corn on the thoroughly underdrained farm
Of our friend John Johnson. One Of the un-
derdrains was choked up. and there the
crop was failure. Corn delights in a loose,
dry. warm soil. lf il is surcharged with
water, all the sunshine Of our hottest sum
mers cannot make il warm, aud all the ma
nure that can be put on it will not make the
corn yield maximum crop. In passing
along the various railroads, we have often
been saddened to See thousands Of acres Of
land planted to corn, which. BIZ little un-
derdraining, would have produced magnif
cent crops Of this grandest Of cereals, but
which presented a miserable spectacle of
yellow. stunned, halfstarysd plants. strug.
Cling for very life. We have ever been
willing TO apologize for the short somings Of
American farmers. We know the difficulties
under which many of them labor. We
do believe them 10 be, as whole, in
tellgent and enterprising." But these
sickly corn fields are well calculated to Gre
ate a very different impression. We have
TO repeat the German proyerb-
/" 10 know is not to be able"
These farmers know how 70 raise good
corn. but they are not always able to put in
practice improved methods Of cultivation.
Many. however, might do better than they
do. The country is in an embarrassed con.
dition. Willing hands cannot find labor.
Good crops alone can save Us from still
greater poverty aud suffering. One good
harvest would set the wheels Of trade and
manufacturing industry in motion, and ush-
er ~ gladstone period Of national prosperi-
~. hut il i vain u hope lur good crops
without good cultivation.
Farmers know how TO raise good corn
know how 10 plant aud cultivate. We can
do little only to urge upon them as patri.
utic duty, the necessity uf putting forth their
best efforts tie coming season. Our cities
aud villages are thronged with idle hands !;
set them TO work. DO what you can toward
draining the land. Plow il well. and pre-.
pare good seed bed. Mark Ou; the land
both ways, 80 as TO plant in straight rows,
and then use the calti,atOr freely. DO not
suffer a weed to grow and rob the corn Of
food and moisture. Constant stirring Of the
soil iccumpnses its organic matter and rem
ders available the food ii plants living latent
in it: il enables il TO attract ammonia aud
10 condeuse moisture from the atmosphere,
while il furnishes loose and warm bed for
the rU0ts 10 grow. in.
We have spent considerable time aud mo.
ncy in experimenting with the various fer.
tilizers fur Indian corn. We know the i'm.
portancc Of the subject. But We are salts
fed that, for the country at large. good
blowing. proper preparation of the land.
eatly planting. aud gOUd aud thorough at
ter.culture. are ol FAR greater importance.
Throughout the vast corn growing region Of
America, if We can remove stagnant water,
prepare the land properly, plant in good
season, and use the horseshoe freely, the
soil 10 the majority Of cases Is rich enough
TO produce fair aud remuncratiye crops Of
corn. Still, like wheat and other cereals,
il il impossible to make land too rich for
corn and il should Dc borne IN mind that il
costs no more 10 plant and cultivate crop
Of corn that will yield sixty bushels per
acre, than one that yields only thirty bush
els. OF course, the most profitable land for
corn is that which u naturally rich too rich
for wheat but in the New England States,
very profitable crops are raised on poor soil
by the AID Of heavy manuring. Levi Bart.
lett says. "0f thirty five crops Of Indian
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