The Smoky Hill and Republican union. [volume] (Junction City, Kan.) 1861-1864, 1864-04-30
Farmers Club.

The NTH weekly meeting OF the Far
mer's Club was held on Wednesday ev-
ening, February 18th, 1864. at Topeka.
Hon. L. D. Bailey, Pres. F. G. Ad-
ans, Sec'y.
Subject: FIELD Crops.
The Pres: The subject for discussion
this evening presents before US broad
field. The King of crops is corn. We
will discuss that first. OF that crop
Kansas in '62 produced 6.804 ,601 bush
els, being an average of forty bushels
per acre, and bringing 35 cts per bushel,
yielding us $2,18O,672. This is what
the report of the Commissioner Of Ag-
riculture shows.
The same report gives the average
yield in California as % bushels, Hi
nois 40 bushels, Indiana AZ bushels,
Iowa 38, Michigan Al, Minnesota As,
Massachusetts 81, Missouri SO, New
York 35, Ohio 80, Wisconsin 40.
Thus it appears that the yield Of our
corn crop in that year was as high as
that in any State except Indiana, Min.
nesota and Michigan. 1t will surprise
most persons at the amount Of corn put
down for Kansas for '62. 1t will be
remembered that that year was very dry.
In the southern part Of the State the
crop was almost a failure. l think any
one from Linn, Bourbon or Allen coun-
ty will testify to this.
Dr.. Ayres: AS regards Linn, it was
there nearly failure. There were
some pieces that would have yielded
eight or ten bushels to the acre. Along
some Of the streams it might have been
better, but on the high prairies it was
very light indeed. Corn was worth Is
cts per bushel in my neighborhood that
winter.
MIR. Rogers: In Usage county the
crop was almost failure that year.
The Pres: Taking the statements of
the Commissioners reports as true, the
corn interest is very large one with us.
DR.. Ayres: would like to inquire
about the experience Of farmers about
the time of putting in spring crops.
The Pres: So far as my observation |
goes, it is generally the opinion that
corn should be put in early.
DR.. Ayres: My experience is the
same. l would put in corn the latter
part Of March Or fore part of .7pril
when it can be done. When put in later |
it is liable to fail with us. About July |
our summer rains cease and the dry
season begins. Very early planted corn |
will be SO far advanced that it will ma
ture while later crops will fail. This is
what have observed.
Mr.. Rogers l would like to state
that gentleman in my neighborhood,
who was an old corn raiser in Missouri,
raises corn cheaper and has larger crops
than anybody in our sectiSA. He plants
about April LIST. Beginning about mid
die of March, if he can. He does not
pillow his land, but marks it off with
one horse piow. He marks one way,
then the other, then drops the corn and
covers it with pillow. When the corn
is up he goes between the rows and
turns the earth from the corn. He uses
. large pillow and strong horse through
all these plowings and markings. The
second time he turns the earth to the
corn. He says that it is disadvantage
to pillow the ground before planting. If
you pillow it, when you come to pillow the
corn the pillow will not scour, but if left
the hard earth will scour the
pillow as you cultivate. This man cult
Yates more corn and has better crops
than any man in our county.
Mr.. Z'rower: I never was anything
else than farmer. / have had eight
years experience in raising corn in Kan
sas. pillow my land early in the spring
and pillow deep. l mark it out with a
pillow and cover it with pillow, when it
gets up to two or three blades 1 knock
out harrow tooth and 60 right over the
corn, straddling the row with harrow.
It looks as though it would tear it up
but it don't. then pillow it three times
with a shovel pillow, and kill all the
weeds. My ground is upland and l
raise from 90 to 90 bushels to the acre.
Have never done any subsoiling. u
Mr.. Thoman of Douglas County i.
When pillow the deepest l raise the best i
:orn. ! have no doubt about the ad- I
vantage Of subsoiling in Kansas. The
,oots of corn run deep, and the deeper ,,
he ground is plowed the better the -,
chance for roots to grow and to get g
moisture in our dry seasons. don't !