Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1874-04-30

lore recent meeting OF the Lancaster County |
Agricultural and Horticultural Society, john |
son Miller, read the following essay ON the |
above subject, which we find in the Express:-
Many Of YOU are aware that at the last meet
ing of our society 1t was agreed that each mem
Der should bring sample of corn along, aud
give his mode Of cultivation, and to have gen.
eral discussion of the subject CT corn raising
As am not 50 well posted, always, TO give my
ideas In public In speaking, have prepared
my plan In the shape Of an essay, which will
cover my ground Of cultivation from the saec-
ton of seed TO the housing of the crop. The
selection Of seed is the most important point
Here, / am satisfied, most farmers make the
mistake and the general failure OF last years
crop is mostly attributable 10 this very point
The winter before the one Just closed had been
one Of unprecedented cold weather. Last spring
when the time came for corn planting, farmers,
as was the general custom, went out TO the
crib aud got ther samples of corn and planted.
The result was that some fields came up about
half, while Others werc entire failures and bad
to be replanied; AMI in this way hundreds of
fields OF corn in this county were spoiled, aud
produced but half crop-the result Of improp-
er selection and Care of seed corn. My plan In
selecting seed corn Is the following: select the
best and well-formed ears when unload, al
husking time, and put Them in the house in q
| dry and warm place here l let it be until
need 1t for planting, and with this plan l never
bad any trouble, and was never Obliged to 10
| plant 10 any extent. Even last year when the
| cry OF replaniirg was general all over the coan.
| try, had no trouble. | did not replant last
| year, and got about 800 bushels In ths ears
from twenty-acie field. The preparation Of
| soil is The next question to be considered. Of
which blowing is the frs, in order. A grass
| field is generally taken, which like TO pillow in
| the fall of the year, in which | see this alyau-
tage ; That il is help for the farmer in the
spring, when there is plenty OF work on all sides
without blowing for corn and | know this
| from experience, that field plowed In tie fall
| is not 81 liable for grass aud weeds during the
| summer, thereby saving Considerable labor in
| cultivating corn, and the ground can be made
| much more agreeable to plant when plowed ia
the fall. l apply lime in the spring at the rate
of 100 Bushels to the acre, and then shovel il
with large shovel-harrow, followed by the
| spike harrow and roller, until / have my field
as fine as garden. don't believe the grouad
can be made too tine for corn or any other crop.
| now ruu over with my marker. which makes
two funows At time-four burrows on a round
trip-thrce feet three inches apart. After having
marked fire or six acres in this way, run over
at right angles with q pole having five chains
attached-also three feet three inches apart
now drop two or mostly three grains at every
corner where the chains run across the burrows
| cover the grain 10 about the depth Of two
inches. After | am done planiiD ing, | drag a
plank over the whole field, In this condition 4.
remsins until the corn comes up; say week or
ten days, when the clltivator Called small
shove. harrow should be started and run
through. Aud as in my plan, have 1t check
cred three feet three inches apart each way,
run through one time north and south, and
then east and west SO In succession until the
| corn is loo large. No scraper will be tolerated
in my corn field for the simple reason that /,
want my corn field even, so that the wa'er will
not lie run oil the stalks, as Is the case when
, piled mp with the scraper, as Is generally done
Ny father aud / have been raising corn fol
? twenty five years without the Use ofa scraper
and il is unnecessary 10 say that We have the
| | reputation Of beng the most successful corr
: idisers Ia old Warwick One thing had al
| most omitted in regard to planting. We plan,
| always 10y hand, and cover with the hoe or foot
= would never recommend machinery for plant
f Ing, because II caunot be done on the checker
plan and, secondly, | au free to declare tina
| there has never been a machine made thai
i would plant regularly; and without regularit,
e in pla1 ting, corn raising is failure. hay,
4 seen fields that were planted with machine
n and when the corn came up sometimes Their,
J. were stalks three feet apart, sometimes six feet
a and then six or seven stalks together; then 70
n twenty feet nothing; again bunch of stalks
e If not so bad as this, have the first field 10 SRI
IS which had any thing like regularity when plant
l. ed by machine. For these reasons, / stronQ
l. recommend aud practice hand planting. Afte
the corn is up, and during cultivation il shout
be thinned out, as said in the foregoing pal
of my essay. | plant three feet three inche
r apart, and three grains TO a hill. After | al
ls done cnltiyating thin out two stalks ip A hill
II. Another great mistake is, that farmers plai
IL too thick; and the result is a good crop OF null
IN bins when husking time arrives. When Ii
ie vaing is finished 1t should b- gone through b.
st tween haymaking and harvest, to pull out Il
d, suckers or side stalks. This should be careful
no ly and in time attended TO. ChoppiDp ia ne
b. 10 be considered. 1t should not BE- perform,
to while too green, as the corn ill dry much bt
r tel out on the stalk than when placed in shoe
ny The shocks should never be too large Abo
nd forty-two stocks TO a shock-six by seven hi
lily is my rule. let it stand ten days ortwo Wee
H. before 1t Is husked. After the hus king the +,
der will he bound and hauled into barn o.,
foggy day, where IL will remain nice all W
M ter.