The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-06-14
qMSAt E|atm.
Walks and Talks on the Farm.


From american .4griculturist.
The Deacon and have been to see
Mr.. Dewey's drilled corn l have for
some years been in favor of drilling in
corn. provided, the land was rich and
clean. The Deacon has been steadfast-
w opposed to the plan. He plants his
corn in hill IL feet apart, four seeds
in a hill. l drill in my corn with a
bean-planter. The rows are IL feet
apart, and the corn is dropped, from 2
to kernels at time, every Is inches
apart. Mr.. Dewey drills in his corn
with an ordinary grain-drill, The rows
are IS inches apart, and the plants
stand from 8 to Is inches apart in the
rows. Mr.. Dewey's son drilled in II
acres in one day. The field was not
marked, but the rows are tolerably
straight and equi-distant. Three rows
are sown at time These are at equal
distances apart, but the next row varies
somewhat, and it is necessary in cult
waiting to go twice in row.
1t is rarely that one sees such mag
ni6cent field of corn There is dense
growth of stalks, who have two perfect
ly maturek.' ears of corn on them, and
nearly all Of them have one large ear.
| should estimate the yield at l40 bush
els of sound ears of corn per acre.
"How long have you drilled in your
corn?" asked the Deacon. "Well, y
said Mr.. Dewey, during the war we
did not know what was going to be-
come of us. We could not get men to
plant corn, and 1 had the rheumatism
l had read about drilling in corn, and
so l thought l weuld try it. Itwa the
only thing / could do. 1t was rather
rough work, but l had good crop, and
have drilled in my corn ever since"
The truth is, however, that it is not
the drilling that gives Mr.. Dewey such
good corn. He is good farmer. He
does not practice thigh farming" in the
sense Sin which I use that term. His
is good example of what l call 4" slow
farming" He raises large crops, but
comparatively few of them. His first
purchase, where he now lives, was 81
acres at $50 per acre. "And," said he,
Il thought l should never be able to
pay for it." He has, however, found
means somehow to buy land adjoining,
until he has now splendid farm OF
some 800 acres, that would sell proba-
bly, for 1925 or $3.50 per acre. On this
farm he raised this season 40 acres OF
wheat, II acres of corn, and IA acres
of barley and oats. The corn, oats,
straw, hay, and stalks are all fed out
on the farm and converted into manure.
He has no fixed rotatian. He breaks
up and sows and plants about as much
land as he thinks he can attend to.
The land he intends to plant to corn
next year has been in grass for seven
years. He will put pretty much all
his manure on this land. After corn,
it will be sown to oats or barley then
sown to wheat, and seeded down again.
1t will then lie in grass three, four, five,
six, or seven years, until he needs it
again for corn, ETC. This is "slow
farming" but it is also good farming
that is to say, it gives large yields per
acre, and good return for the labor
expended.
The soil of this farm is richer to-day
in available plant food than when first
cleared 1t produces larger crops per
acre Mr.. D. called our attention to a
fact that establishes this point An old
fence that had occupied the ground for
many years was removed some years
since, and the two fields thrown into
one. Every time this field is in crops
it is easy to see where the old fence was
by the short straw and poor growth on
this strip as compared with the land on
each side which had been cultivated for
years.
This is precisely the result that l
should have expected. If Mr.. d. was
a poor farmer-if he cropped his land
frequently, did not more than half
cultivated it, sold everything he raised,
and drew back no manure think the
old fence-strip would have given the
best crops