Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1867-04-26
CULTIVATION OF CORN.

makes some important suggestions in
tho following article, which wo COM
mend to The so,ious attention of our
planting friends:
As the corn crop of tho past season
was SO great n failure, il is oxpcdicnt
to set a new crop as soon as possible.
The gourd seed variety, though tho
most valuable :or this climate, is very
late, rcquiri' 6 six months before it is
ready for tho mil! while some small
lcr varieties, as the King Philips, may
be ready for use in tour months,
and in very favorable seasons, in nine
ty days. The past season some King
Phillips corn was planted as an cx-
pertinent by thrco different persons,
April l. On tho 18th of July this |
corn WAS dry enough to grind, while
tho large varieties wcro only in silk
This variety can be planted much
clos or, and thus mal1os as great u
! yicl'! ~ the large variety. AS it ri
; pens before the July or August
dronghts, we may hope to have IL
crop when tho gourl socd is failure.
! While wo would rot abandon the
largo varieties for tho main crop,
would it not be we'll Tor each farmer
to try few acres Of some small va
rioty.
Tho corn crop is too important to
be abandoned, and wo must enquire
what arc the causes of failure of late
years; for tho average fall OF rain is
not less now than formerly. This,
we think, can bo shown to be the
absence of vegetable matter Aumus1
in tho soil.
BY observation, it has been found
that in contiguous fields of corn, culti-
waited alike, tho results during a
drought arc very different; @. g. {:
Wishing to make crop of seventy
bushels to the acre, manured heavi-
ly four acres. In them was o fence
row that had grown up with briars.-
1t was full Of mould and now ground.
About half an aero was half worn out
onc-quar,cr Of an acre had been made
very rich with stable manure, put on
ten years previous. Tho other por-
tions wcr, very much worn, but ma.
nurcd nearly all the field bountifully
with unftrmcntcd manure, leaving a
} portion, however, unmanurcd. 1t
was cultivated twelve inches. deop-
in somo places turning up tho clay,
which had but lit.lo fertility and no
mold. Soon after the seed camo up q
drought set in, and tho corn ceased tc
grow. 1t began to be affected by the
drought in the following order. /. The
poor, unmarured portion; 2. The re-
Gently manured; 3. The old manu-
rcd 4. Tho half wSrn, unmanurcd
, 5. The fercc row, also unmanurod.-
The last appeared to be little affected
l by the drought. When tho rain sci
t in, the corn commenced TO grow in
Q reverse order 10 tho above. A sccont
), and more severe drought set in, du
ring which the corn tassclcd.' On No
i l tho stalks were worry small; No. 2
t much larger; No. 3, but most of tht
}. tasscls uDinjured; No. S, stalks good
8 and no tnssels destroyed. NO corr
! was raised in Nos. 1, 2, md 8; OF
: 4 u poor crop; on five tho crop wa!
good"
}, From this experiment, rs from re-
}. peatcd observation, We draw our con
:, clusiou that the rem ote cause Of failur.
t in this case was vegetable mold, almos
as much rs tho want of m DISTURB
J. Tho corn crop is one Of cloan culture
and, therefore, requires repeated plow
II ing during Summer, thus constant,
a exposing new suripce to the sun, by
t which much mold is decomposed int
:. its elements, and thus wasted. Molt
n is one form ofScabon.> When this il
( consumed, Tho land is exhausted. Th'
- INORGANIC elemonts Of, grain. may b.
plentiful in the soil, yet partial bar
= rcnness may bo tho consequence, 70
= want of tho organic to form tho gIu'
= ten, starch, sugar, oil, etc, to th
+ grain. Tho. first indication Of tb
j; wearing outof a soil is--its liabilit.
~ to bakeJa and it's inability to withstan
= drought. -
: We frequently hear it said the eli
;, mate il changing And the drought
q are greater. Tho, fact is, enr old land
= will not produce corn as they used t.
o do, while the new lepdsSd do welI,* an
- stand The heat 81. Summer. ALI ne,
soils are full sot mold IN 9 state ot, pc,
tial decay. BY repeated :cultiyatio:
Land exposure to the sun, much, Of: lit ]