The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1876-12-01
THE sGGZS.
BEL AIR, FRIDAY, DEC. 1, 1876.
Reported for Tie 4A9is d Hatelligencer.
Deer Creek Farmers Club.

urday, the 25th November. Present-Messrs
Ball. President; Silver, Secretary; Archer
Willis, Lochary, James Lee, Moores, Bayless
Webster, Janncy, Gorrell, Munnikhuysen, W
s. Barnes and Allen, active members, Messrs
John Barnes, s. NJ Lee, d. f. Wilson, Hays ant
Magraw honorary members; and Mcssrs. Gar
rett Amos, Waters, Edelin,, Edward Wilson
Fmney and s. W. Barnes, visitors.
Previous 10 entering upon the regular bust
ness of the meeting, the members paid a Nisi
to the field containing Mr.. Archer's stock cattle
seventeen in number. They were pronounced
an unusually fine lot OF cattle, and those who
examined them were competent Judges.
The regular question for discussion was an
nounced as follows: How did YOU plant YOU
corn? At what time? What fertilizers did you
use? Could you have planted it in any Other
way, or at any other time, or with other fcrliii.
zers, to have made more corn per acre ?
Mr.. Archer said he had planted his corn Too
thick. He found he had about $500 stalks 10
the acre. 1t ought to be the aim of farmers in
this section to raise twenty barrels OF corn per
acre That would be about 10000 ears. His
corn was planted So feet wide in the rows, with
. about IA stalks to Il foot. Putting the rows the
same distance apart with 10 stalks to q foot,
would give 1854 stalks to the acre, which he
thought about right. He acknowledged, how.
ever that he could not understand the matter,
Last year his corn was just as thick and he
raised II barrels TO the acre. This year he had
IL or II barrels to the acre. Used tons of bone
on Is acres aud planted early.
Mr. John Barnes.-Since we have been drill
ing corn we have planted too thick. Prefers TO
plant without drilling, So by 213 feet, two
stalks to the hill. lie tested it last year and
found the hill corn decidedly the best There
was more imperfect corn in the drilled portion.
Used 500 lbs. of bone per acre, on old sod, after
it was broken up. At the third working he
noticed that some insect had been working at the
roots of the corn 1t dwlndled away, was hard
to cut up, seemed to have very slight hold on
the ground, and much of it never made an ear.
M l.. = l nGf ts.,nr IA
crop averaged II or IS barrels to the acre.
Mr.. Archer said he had noticed the same thing
in his corn, and attributed it to some insect
preying on the roots of the corn.
Mr. Moores.-C Commenced planting the last
of April using eco lbs. of bone to the acre.
Drilled the corn 3 feet apart in the rows, and
had fraction over $4,000 plants to the acre,
He did not think that was too thick for the sea-
son. Very few of the stalks were unproductiye.
AS a general thing he believed l2,OU0 plents to
the acre is about right. Corn will stand being
planted one fourth thicker when drilled. By
planting in hills s feet each way, with TWO
stalks TO the hill you can not raise 20 barrels
TO the acre. The best corn he ever raised was
this year, on field, portion OF which was
MANFRED last year. There were IA, 900 plants to
the acre, by careful count, and the yield was a
fraction over 20 barrels per acre. There were
eight acres in that lot Where it was MANFRED
the year before the increase from the manure
was at least s barrels per acre. Made the rows
apart. Planted LIST day of May. He estimated
that 500 weight of bone will make212 barrels OF
corn, but the value of the bone is OF course not
exhausted with the corn crop. The manure he
hauled out through the winter and plowed I'M
der in the spring increased his crop only bar
rels per acre, he thought. He spread straw,
chah, &c, over four acres in July or August,
last year, and thought it increased the yield
barrels to the acre. Thinks the best way TO use
straw is not TO haul it TO the barn yard, but
. tln nd NnI n
pillow for corn. 1t will make a fine sod before
you pillow it, and you will be certain of corn
crop on that land. He plowcd with three mules,
as deep as he could. He raised 2l0 barrels on
10 acres of land.
Mr.. Gorrell thought his corn had been injured
by something. The stalks seemed 10 be dead
and many of the cars were imperfect. lie ap'
piled on one part bone and on anc her manure
The latter was the best. Planted by drilling on
the 10th of May. He thought land would stand
more corn drilled than any other way. lie
plowed straw in and thought it helped the corn,
but believed il would have been better to put il
on sooner. His yield was 10 or - barrels. The
high land did best, and that which was plowed
the worst produced the best corn.
Mr.. Muunikhuysen.-Elad in three fields on
three different farms-drilled two fields and
planted one checkered. A small lot of stepped
corn was as good as any. One field had yieldtd
three crops OF corn and two crops of wheat since
any manure had been applied 10 il, and it aver
he could have planted in any other way and
raised more corn. On one Of the drilled fields
he had II or IS barrels to the acre. 1t was sod
of twenty years standing, and was plowcd The
TO 18th of May, feet apart, IA inches apart IL
the rows. Believes it just as well TO step 1t as
any other way He also believed his corn was
affected at the roots by insects.
Mr.. James Lee said he raised poor crop thi:
year, his corn being too thick 1t was drilled
fact inn rt 10 cd he II
TO the acre on a portion and manure on another
portion. The latter was good, having yielded
1917 barrels. Another patch was also manured
with stable manure, which was plowcd undel
on one part, and spread on after blowing ON the
remainder. The latter raised IA to IL barrels
and was better than where the manure wa:
plowed under. Would not plant so thick an
other year. Likes the rows close and the plants
further apart in the row, so as to distribute
them more evenly over the ground. Prefers
drilled corn to any other method Of planting.
Mr.. Ball and several othcrmembeIs remarked
that crows and other birds could not pull VI
drilled corn SO easily as hill corn. Mr. Bal
asked whether the past season here was not toe
wet to produce good crop Of corn? SCNcra
members remarked that the best corn they hat
was on upland.
Mr.. Webster said he differed with Messrs
Archer and Moorcs as TO checkcrcd corn. l.
land can be thoroughly prepared the drilled
corn might be as good, but if not SO prepared
tuc CueChclcu COln Will 40 DCsl, iOI INC ltuSOl
that you can work it so much better Last yea
he had some corn which was not worked AT all
which yielded 81 barrels on 2acres. The ground
however, had been very thoroughly prepared
and that he thought was the cause of the goot
yield. You cannot cultivate corn too much
Would never use hoe, but would use pillow
shovel pillow, cultiyator and one-horsc harrow
His average yield was - barrels per acre on 9
acres. Would not plant until ground get
warm.
Mr. Eippnv drillad I,;s oo,r o,d ,yos eotis flo,
you can raise more that way than any other
Would plant again as he did this year.
MIR. Willis plowed % acres, part of it last win
ter and part late in the spring. The wnte
plowed corn came up the best, but was to-
thick. Used 800 lbs. of phosphate TO the acre
sowed in the row and narrowed in. Worked hi
corn twice, when The great storm beat it dow
so that he could work it no more. 1t woult
have done better if he could have thinned it
Raised 10 barrels to the acre.
Mr.. Edward Wilson said farmers plant corr
TOO thick, in his judgment. BY not planting 81
thick you get larger ears.
Mr.. Bayless plowed 25 acres of good sod carl
and planted the LIST Of May, drilled it, 213 fee
apart, the stalks to IL inches apart Though
he would have good crop, but was disappoint
ed at the yield. Used to tons of bone Hi
corn was too thick.
Mr.. Edelin's experience, he said, tailed wit
those in favor of thin planting. Drilled his cor
May Esd, 319 feet between the rows, with stalk
IL 10 Ii Inches apart. IIelcIIcu laISe cars
they are more easily handled, and hands woul
rather husk them. His ground was MANFRED i
the spring.
Mr. Lochary plowcd deeper than usual, had
good growth of stalks, bnt his corn did not tur
as well as he expected. Thinks there was TO
much rain, and that corn will do better in dr.
seasons He planted with drill in rows 315 fec
apart, stalks ID inches apart. Used no tertil
ger. The land was good sod on which cattl
were fed last winter. His yield was IL barrel:
Mr.. s. NJ Lee plowed his land in the white
and planted April 25th. He ran out rows 81
feet apart, and allowed the corn to stand froI
Is % 90 inches in the rows. The corn care
well,