Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-05-05
Corn Culture.

5. Il. Todd said at a meeting of the Amer
ican Institute Farmers club that American
farmers can cultivate no other crop that will
exert such az amelicrating and renovating
influence on the soil as Indian corn. No
other crop will develop so much fertility
during one season as Indian corn. No other
known plant will prepare so much plant.lood
for other crops Whenever field happens
to he in such a wild aud uncutivated condi-
ton that the soil will not produce wheat, bar.
ley, and oats, corn may be planted
with the assurance of raising fair
crop, for the reason that the roots will lay
hold of coarse manure and other fertiizing
elements, which may be in crude and
rough condition, and appropriate the unre.
fined plant-lood to the purpose of develop.
ing luxuriant growth Of stalks, leaves and
grain. The roots Of growing corn will ex.
tract potash aud other elements from an inn
poverished soil, where growing wheat, rye and
barley would fail utterly to find half a sup
ply requisite for even small crop If inferior
grain and short and slender straw. When a
farmer has reclaimed bog meadow by drain.
ing, and has plowed the wild, crude, coarse
and unsubdued ground, Indian corn will
grow luxuriantly when other cereals would
not produce an equivalent for the seed
planted or sowed. When land has been
badly impoverished by injudicious manage
ment, and the proprietor desires to intro
duce a renovatng system, Indian corn, red
clover and sheep will enable him to restore
the fertility in shorter space of time and at
smaller expense than the desired object
could be accomplished in any other economi-
cal manner. Pioneer farmers who under
stand the true value of crop of Indian corn
know that they cannot produce so much food
for their live stock during the growing sea-
son, on given area of land, as by planting
Indian corn. Maize, which is the proper
name Of the growing corn, is a plant Of won-
dsrful adaptation TO the wants Of tillers of the
soil. No other crop produced in the United
States plays such an important part in the
production Of beef pork, mutton aud whisky
as Indian corn. by selecting the seed from
year to year with proper care, Indian corn
is susceptible of immense improvement, both
in earlness of maturity and in the yield Of
grain per acre. BY gathering those ears
which mature first, and planting none but
the largest aud finest kernels for several sue
eessive seasons, and then by introducing a
short rotation of crops and renovating sys-
tenn Of management in which all the coarse
grains and other products Of the field shall
be consumed on tho farm by sheep or neat
cattle, and the manurial accumulations Of the
stables and yards saved with care aud judi
ciousIy applied to the soil, it will not be diff.
cult to develop the fertility to such degree
in few years that every acre Of good land
would yield not less than one hundred bush.
are Of such delicate growth that the growing
plants must have the plant-food prepared
before the grain is sowed. While red clover
will develop nitrogen in desired abundance,
growing corn will develop nitrogen, phos-
phatic material, and large quantities of pot
ash and soda. When humus and humic acid
are deficient in any soil, unless one has ac-
cess to bed Of muck, desirable quantity
of the former can be developed in no other
way so quickly and cheapy as by sowing
corn and plowng the green crop under. A
great many farmers cherish the erroneous idea
that crop of buckwheat, if plowed under,
will yield more vegetable matter and develop
a larger amount OF humus than any other
plant. There is not more grave mistake
in the science of agriculture than this. Two
crops of maize may be produced and plowed
under in one season, either Of which will pro-
duce three times as much vegetable mat
ter and humus as crop of buck wheat.
More than this, buckwheat is ruinous to any
soil. Our best farmers will not raise it.
But maize and corn crop will always i'm.
prove the fertility of poor land, and render
good land more productive every season.
President Ely and DR.. Trimble said that
they could not agree that corn enriched the
soil. 1t impoverished it.