Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1867-05-16

AS summer draws warmer breath. ia
And opens like a rose
-t 8tr5 - = -. -
How to Raise Large Crop Of Indian
s. Corn.
The right kind of management is as es-
sential to the production OF large crop of
Indian corn as to raise beautiful crop of
wheat. Some farmers will raise Just dou-
bic the number Of bushels of grain on
given soil that can be grown by other men.
Ihls is a fact that canuot be refuted, and
the reason for it is to be found only in the
system OF management adopted by those
who cultivate the soil. Indian corn likes
dry, lively and warm soil, in which there
is an abundance Of fertilizing matter. It is
the height of folly to attempt to grow
heavy crop Of Indian corn on a cold damp,
heavy soil, which is not in a good state of
fertility. 1t the usual time for planting
Indian corn occurs about the middle Of
May, and the ground is not in the best con-
ditlon for being plowed, better defer plant
ing till after the first Of June, rather than
to pillow the ground and put in the seed too
early in the season. There is never any
thing gained, but great loss sustained,
by blowing the land especially heavy and
foul land-too early IN the Spring, after
the growing season has commenced. The
main idea is to defer blowing the ground
and planting the seed until the whole
earth has been warmed by the sun to such
degree that the seed will vegetate quick
-ly, and the young plants grow rapidly. If
the seed be put in too early, the young
plants are apt to get chilled by the cold
nights and chilled storms OF rain. The
first step toward producing a remunera-
ting crop of Indian corn is to prepare the
land. II every portion of given field is
not sufficiently dry, let under drains be made
SO as to relieve the soil of all surplus water.
If necessary, let the entire month of May
be occupied in rendering the soil dry. 4
bountlful crop Of Indian corn cannot be
raised where the land is charged with an
excess of moisture during the former part
OF the growing season.
Another point of eminent importance is
to defer blowing the ground until the seed
is ready to be put in, as late blowing, es-
peclally where the ground is infested with
noxlous weeds, will save all the labor Of
one hoeing Of the young plants. When the
land is plowed, let the piowman commence
IN the middle of the field and turn the fur
row slices all inward. BY this naaaer Of
blowing all ridges, half broken up and
middle burrows will be avoided If the
soil rests on "a heavy and cold substratum
i OF calcareous clay, do not plow too deep
with the common plow A suhsoil pillow
may be employed when the ground is Of
this character, with satisfactory results
Another consideration inaispensably requi-
site is manure Of some kind. II coarse
barn-yard manure be the only fertilizer
employed, let it be spread broadcast and
plowed under as soon as it is spread. If
there is a sufficient amount Of manure to
cover ten-acre field one inch deep, better
spread it on five acres anl plant only half
the field than to attempt to cultivate ten
acres with only light sprinkling Of coarse
fertllizng material, as more grain may be
grown on five acres when heavily manur-
ed, than on ten acres having only light
dressing Of fertiIizing material.
: Ii the corn is to be manured in the hill
with guano, rawhone superphosphate, or
hen manure, it will pay to remove the soil
where each hill Is to grow, and spread the
manure over an area Of eighteen inches in
diameter, after which it should be lightly
covered with mellow earth before the seed is
planted. A large number of farmers could
collect several hundred pounds of hen ma
nure which would be almost as effective In
producing bountiful crop of corn as a
dressing of Peruvian guano. These ceb-
eral suggestions will be sufficient to enable
almost any practical farmer to supply the
necessary details in practice for producing
: bountiful crop of corn with the smallest
amount of manual labor N Y Times.
How TO HAVE MEALY PoTAToEs IT is
very common thing in the spring to find
strong, watery potatoes on the table, unless
care has been taken to select and preserve
them: A poor potato is the poorest arti-
Gle OF food that can be had and as soon
as they begin to sprout they begin to grow
poor and watery, the better part of the root
going to the support of the sprouts hence,
to have mealy, nice, potatoes, it is neces-
sary to keep them from exhausting them
selves in this way. An exchange gives
tue following method of preventing the po-
tatoes from sprouting. which we hope will
be tried and approved: Take good, sound
potatoes and place them in tub or barrel,
and pour boiling water over them, letting
them remain in the water until the eyes are
scalded so they will not sprout; dry the
potatoes thoroughly in The sun, and put
them AWAY In a hnx or barrel in q cool