Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-06-13
than from all other causes put to.

than from all other causes put to-
gcther.
He replied that they had only re-
plowed that small strip between two
rows of apple trees as fall blowing.
l told him that was wrong; fall
blowing ought never to be rcplow-
cd.
"Why," said he, we are going to
subsoil and trench-plow this whole
field"
l told him not to do it, as l had
watched trench-plowing, subsoiling
and deep blowing for twelve years,
and had never seen any land that
would produce as good crop after
as before either was done. l told
him to plant what he had plowed
between the next two, trench-plow
the next two, shallow-plow the next
two, and the balance of the ground
l would not pillow at all, as that
ground was in better condition than
he could possibly make it by plow-
ing. 1t was done accordingly. Now
for the result.
On the 18th day of July the re-
suit was published in the Western
Rwal, of Chicago. The corn grow
ing on the unplowed land was far
superior to any of that on the plow-
ed land, and strange to say, that
which was trench-plowed and sub
soiled was the poorest of all. Now,
If it will not win in dry season,
when will it win? So much for the
year 1870.
Now, for 1871. I paid another
visit to the University, and
found my friend Vickory superin-
tending the blowing. l said,
"Butchering land this time" He
was blowing about eight inches
deep and narrowing. I told him to
stop both, which, to my surprise, he
did, and commenced to pillow shal.
low and using the board. l told
him he hitched to the wrong end OF
the board-that agriculture as
recommended by agricultural pen
ny-a-liners, and practiced by many
farmers, was wrong end to, and up
side down-so we turned the board
upside down and t'othcr end to-
After this was all done, we took
about three acres, one half ofwhicE
was plowed, and the other half was
not. 1t was all planted the same
day, with a hoe (the favorite way
of planting there, as Mr.. Flagg had
previously planted deep-plowed land
that was laid off with painted
stakes in the same Way. paid q
visit there last wesk, found the corr
cut up, and asked the men if the!
could see any difference in the three
acre piece. They said they could
not. l told them how it was plant
ed. They wanted to know which
end of it had not been plowed.
did not tell them.
On the old home place, one of the
marks of this county (the Red
Barn., % acres Of corn were plant.
ed this year. The ground was
plowed two and one-half inches
deep, twelve acres Of which was
timothy soil,..all treated alike, plow-
ed with same pillow. A plank was
drawn over the whole field, then
planted with common Brown corn
planter; planted very shallow, SO
much so that, owing to the dryness
of the Spring, the old ground had
to be replanted, ditto the sod, the
cut worms having destroyed nearly
the whole of it. 1t became neces-
sary to plant again, which was
done the same as in the first place.
1t was cut off again but not killed.
On the old ground the corn was
plowed three times with a common
walking cultivator, the sod but
onoe, five rows of which were not
plowed at all.
This field has been in cultivation
thirty-fve years. Ten acres of this
field was trench-p.owed once, and
has never produced good crop
since, and there is now not much more
than half as much corn per acre as
there is on the adjoining piece,
which will yield from seventy-five
to one hundred bushels per acre,
the best crop ever grown upon it.
In this new departure l propose to
show how cheap any kind. of grain
can be raised. l am able now to
show that corn can be grown for
five cents per bushel. These are
practical results, and can be fully
proved by the wheat and corn grown
upon the old home place in the years
1870 and III. l mean the cost, less
the expense of harvesting, thrash
ing, etc. This is something | want
to draw public attention to, and have
this kind Of cultivation extend all
over creation.