The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1869-04-17
How To Plant Corn.

Editors .M'ron Tr1cgrnph:-As it is corn
planting time, it occurs to lne that it might
not be anss to remind cur planting friends of
MIR. Dicksons method Of planting corn The
readers of the Southern Cultvator are familiar
with his suggestions on this subject; but ny
very many of Jour readers possibly d, net
tako this valuable journal and would be glad
to know the plan pursued by this ';prince of
farmers, the result of his experience ;1;l
scientifc researches in farming for more than
twenty years l will take the liberty of furnish
ing the desired information
Certainly, if our planters could but take IL
peep ut Mr.. DicksOn's corn cribs. still well
filled with coru which he made three years
ago, and sec the abundance and even waste of
that valuable product which seems tr grow
around him as if by magic, they would be
anxious to learn tho secret of such success
For the benefit of those not posted and who
feel an interest i'll this all important subject,
will furnish Mr.. Dickson's method of pro-
;edurc, in his own words, for breaking tho
land and planting the crop.
"llnve good turning ploughs. and according
to your ability use one or two horses and sub
soil. Ride over the field and lay the land so
that the horses will 90 round i'll level, and the
dirt will fall down hill. A team will brcak
up the soil nine inches deep in this way as
easily as they could seven incEes on a level
piece of land. Continue to take the lands in
the same way until the field is finished, one
team following anothcr-all the time goin..
round the circle, and if you subSoil have ono
team between each turning plough running
to the bottom of the furrow When you finish
the field is ready for planting, if the proper
tino has arrived. In deciding this point you
must be governed by the weather 1t varies
from the 10th of March to the lst of APRIL.
According to my experience man only gains
hard work. and more Of it by very early plant
ing
snow for the planting: Lny off burrows
with long shovel plough OH IL level, seven
feet apart. Commence at the opposite end
with Il longer shovel and open out the same
lurrow. The reason for this is you get up to
trees and stumps and make better finish Mt
the ends. This furrow should stand open
seven or eight inches deep. " neither YOU
use compost, cotton seed or guanos, let each
hand have his three feet measure and dcposit
the manure just three feet apart Then drop
the corn within three or four inches of tho
manure, one or more grains is your custom
dropping on the near side of the manure,
as the droppcr goes; and then with a very
light turrow cover the corn one or one and a
half inches deep The !.arrc,: should go the
same way as the droppcr goes to keep from
pulling the manure OH the grain
"If you cover deep you lose all the ad-
vantsgcs of low ploughing (but not of the
deep breaking) and for this reason: Corn in
good weather, will come up from depth of
one to six inches, but will strike out roots
about one inch from the surface of the ground.
and all below that will perish. That is one
reason why L am opposed to dirting corn as
soon as it comes up--rit brings the loot of the
stalk to the top of the ground
This, Mr.. Editor is Mr.. Dickaons method
of preparing the land and planting the crop.
The plan is subject to the approval or disap-
proyal of your many readers. We must make
our own corp, and some change from the
usual ncpuor system o. planting is neccssary,
in Ylew OF our dull labor aud Increased liability