Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-05-31
Planting Corn Does not Insure the
Gathering.

The farmers upon our broad Western
prairics come as near perhaps, gather
ing the average crop, from year to year,
without labor as any other people, but
it so happens that the crops which grow
spontaneously are the most persistent
enemies the slothful farmer has to con-
tend with. In view of this, the prudent
husbandman begins away back at the
time of the ripening and maturing of
the seed germs, which constitute the in
cipient stages of the future crop, to
gather up and keep in store the forces
which shall combine to bring forth the
desired results The seed corn must not
only be gathered as soon as it arrives at
state of maturity and placed in state
OF perfect preservation, but the largest
and ripest ears must be selected so that
the quality of the succeeding crops may
in every particular be equal to the seed
which produced it. After the seed has
been secured in good order, as of the
first Importance, q place congenial must
be secured in which to plant it. The
corn field may be either large or small,
with the improved machinery for the
cultivation of corn, according to the
skill OF the farmer, or to the extent to
which he understands all the conditions
and requirements of this redundant
plant. Other crops may be poisoned
and ruined by an over-supply of some
kinds of manures, while the corn grows
apace and delights in the abundant rich
ness.
Soils can hardly be too fertile for this
tron.no1 ,,lont If <hn Land :, v.ol, -
seems to contain all the elements for
heavy yield of grain.
The land is not always fertile in the
qualities which bring the best results.
1t may have been originally so, but a
succession of crops has exhausted it of
the proper conditions, and the seed corn
is seldom saved in the best manner; so
we must take these things as we find
them, as it is planting time now After
the wet, open winter which has passed,
much of the land will be inclined to
bake, so that the earlier the blowing is
done the more time the soil will have to
become subdued and assume it's normal
ameliorated condition. The old idea of
waiting until corn planting time before
blowing the ground to have fresh
place to plant in, is erroneous. Our adj
vice is, to pillow as soon as the ground is
in condition, if that comes in the month
of March. If plowed so early, the
ground becomes settled, packed down,
and with level and pulverized surface,
the planter may be passed over the
ground with much less labor, and the
seed corn placed at uniform depth
near the surface, so that it will germi-
nate with greater certainty, come up
quicker and grow with more vigor than
when placed at some indefinite distance
beneath the surface. Such early plowed
land holds the moisture better than that
plowed later, and the atmosphere left to
circulate through it.
With good seed corn, the ground
plowed and prepared in the proper man
ner, and the corn cultivated thoroughly
before and soon after it comes up-the
Western farmer seldom fails to realize a
large yield of grain of excellent quality,
Every operation in the production Of
corn may be hurried except the plant
ing We do not think it pays to plant
corn before the soil gets warm enough
to sprout it readily, unless later than
the middle of May, north Of Al degrees
north latitude. There will this year, no !
doubt, be much bad seed corn, as there
has been in years past, and every pre-
caution should be used to make good
the deficiency that the individual fail
ures, which so frequently occur, bay be
avoided - Western Rural