Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-02-22
FARM AND GARDEN.
rhe cultivation OF Corn.


furusr Richmond, Va.,) an essay on the
cultivation Of corn by DIR. Thomas p. At
kinson, Of DanyilIe, Va, to which was
awarded the first premium by the Central
Agricultural Society Of North Carolina, and
as il is the experience Of a successful grover
Of corn, its suggestions will he found very
useful by the farmers Of this State. We ex-
tract the following:
Toprotect the grain against the ravages of
moles, crows, and other depredators, and 10
insure its putting forth a vigorous bud, it
should be soaked for twelve or eighteen
hours IN a solution Of saltpetre, lone pound
OF salt 20 gallon Of water and we'll rolled
in plaster Of Paris Immediately before
planted.
With the seed thus prepared, and pro-
perly planted, Of the mode Of doing which
! will treat hereafter, good stand may he
confidently expected. If the land 10 be
cultivated De hilly, or from any other cause
liable 20 wash" | first construct hillside
trenches az suitable distances apart, taking
care to let them empty up stream. The
bottom Of these trenches should be eight
inches wide, not iefei across, but inclining
10 the hillside above. In laying off the
rows, ! run deep coulter furrow three feet
from each trench and parallel to them.
Confirming these parallel burrows alter
nately with the trenches, finish in the
centre Of the plat, thus forming all the short
Totrs near U,is point, which is matter of
great importance, and the neglect OF which
has done much TO bring the system of Hill
side trenches into disrepute and disuse.
A little reflection will convince any one
that If the short rows be made near the
trenches they must discharge their water.
and along with il their loose dirt into
them, and thus, in a short time these last
will be filled up at various points, where
the water will cause breaks, and 20 cours-
ing down hill with ever increasing force.
and making along its track the much
dreaded and most unWelcome gullies. In
hauling ofthe corn the wagons should Hsrer
be driYen across he beds, but along the fur
rows 10 the end, where, turning. they
should be directed between other rows, and
so on as before. BY observing these direc-
lions the beds will remain unbroken.
except at the ends, aud so, continue
90 serve "a barriers 10 the passage Of
the water down hill. A neglect of these
simple precautions, the importance Of
which must be apparent 20 any thinking
mind, has done much TO injure our lands,
by causing their owners to attribute to the
ass that which is solely due 20 the abuse
Of the system Of hillside trenches, and no
10 discard an Invaluable preventive of
washing"
lt IA Of very great importance that this
srE,ff L.,
and remembering the old maxim. "If Won
would have thing I0tH done, ETC, / al
ways do itmyself. ! use a rafter level, Of
twelve feet epan, and having adjusted the
plumb correctly, | cut from one 20 two
inches of one of the feet, according 10 the
formation of the surface to be laid of,
This will give the proper fall TO the
trenches, which should be kept free from
grass and dirt, not only whilst the crop is
under cultivation, but during the winter.
/ have deemed il proper TO offer this de-
tense of that which, for the last forty.tive
years, has rendered me good service, and
which has been discarded by most Others
without Just cause, and with az little
thought, imagine, as was given 10 its
adoption. | commence preparing my land
Immediately after housing the preceding
crop, by throwing il into beds with double
Dagon pillow, commencing on each side Of he
coulter turroics already laid OF following each
turR with deep conlter furrow. This
provides against the effects Of a drought
by atiording 3 deep bed for absorbing and
retaining the rains Of the succeeding sum
mer, whilst il protects the land against
i0ashiRg, that great destroyer of our farms.
prefer bedding even highland, for two
reasons Fret, it allows the winters frost
20 permeate the land more thoroughly than
when il is leit fiat and secondly, because
the water burrows thus formed afford a free
passage for the surplus water that falls ia
winter, and the land is thereby left in q
much better coalition for cultivation in the
spring.
| know that many persons object to this
mode Of cultivation because they think
that corn dropped upon ridge must suffer
mere from drought than if it we're planted
on tiai surface This is Jinquestionably
true but only slight reflection viii teach
them that they are not driven % the ne
cessity Of planting on ridge because the
land has been thrown into beds. They
may, as do, plant "a tAe iaafer JilyvoUs and
on he clay. About two weeks before plant
iug, say from the 10th to the 10Th of March,
begin 20 reverse the beds with the pillow
hy which they had been formed and
Il the ground be at all rough or
cloddy, I run two burrows Of a three
tooth coulter harrow over each bed
This puts the ground in first rate
order, and pays better than any two plow-
ings after planting. On reversing the beds
care should be taken 10 leave ridge Of one
OF two inches of the soil unturned. The
dirt thus left will, when incorporated with
the clay, by the process presently TO be de-
scribed, form a suitable matrix OF bed for
the reception of the seed. The roots of
corn branching off laierally and never pen
etrating the earth below where the grain
is deposited, lthere being no tsp-rooi, il
IL all important that the land he broken
very deep and that the seed be planted very
low in the ground otherwise 10 will wither
and FIRE on the approach OF droughis Il
is Impossible 10 break the land too deep or
10 pulyerize il too well, although il nav be
and often is turned too deep. The turning
pillow should run Just deep enough 10 pen
citrate a little distance below the soil, 90 a.
TO throw up olsysenough to glaze the sur
face.
The grest advantage Of very deep pillow
ing is that il very greatly increases the
power OF the capillary attraction Of the
earth BY which the moisture is raised from
below 10 the roots Of the plants. This
power is augmented also by the separation
OF the particles Of the earth which is effected
by the pillow, even as low as the bottom Of
the furrow. lt
The difference in the degree Of this
-. II sftrarfian urbara tha land has
been well broken and where It hiss been
left hard and cloddy, may be estimated by
holding in one hand lump Of brown So
gar with one end in water, and ia the other
hand lump Of loaf sugar similarly sus-
pended. Ii will be found thai Hhilst the
last will be slow 10 absorb the water, the
frsi viii become saturated and dissolved.
This will be owing TO the difference 10 the