St. Landry democrat., 1878-05-18
Planting Corn Does Not Insure
the Gathering.

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the Gathering.
The farmers upon our broad western
pralries come as near, perhaps, gathering
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 s!othful 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 incipi-
ent stages of the future crop, to gather
up ana keep in store the forces which
shall combine to bring forth the desired
results. The seed CORP must not only
b. gathered as soon as it arrives at a
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, place congenial must be
provided in which to plant it. The
cornfeld 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
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 richness.
Soils can hardy b, too fertile for this
tropical plant. If the land is rich, it
seems to contain all the elements for a
heavy yield of grain.
The land is not always fertile in the
qualities which bring the best results, It
may have been originally SO, but sue.
cession of crops has exhausted it of the
proper conditions, and the seed>corn is
seldom saved in the right manner so we
must take these things as We find them,
as it is so near 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 its nor
NAL ameliorated condition. The old
idea of waiting until complaining
time before blowing the ground
to have a fresh place to plant
in, is erroneous. Our advice is, to pillow
as soon as the ground is in condition, if
IL at occurs in the month of March. If
plowed SO early, the ground becomes
settled, packed down, and with a level
and well pulverized surfaces, the planter
may be passed over the ground with much
less labor, and the seed corn placed at a
uniform depth near the surface, SO that
it will terminate with greater certainty,
come up quicker and grow with more
vigor than when placed at some indef-
mite distance beneath the surface. Such
early plowed land holds the moisture
better than that plowed later, and the
atmosphere lett to circulate through it.
With good seed corn, the ground
plowed and prepared in the proper
manner, and the corn cultivated thor
oughly before and soon after it comes up
the western farmers seldom fails to
realize large yield of grain of excellent
quality. Every operation in the produc.
ton of corn may be hurried except in
planting. 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 nerth latitude. There will this
year, no doubt, be much bad seed corn,
as there has been in years rast, and every
precaution should be used to make good
the deficiency that the individual fall
ures, which so frequently occur, may be
avoided Western Rural.