The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-04-03
BIG CORN CROP.
One.

oufa
Like produces like" with seed a.
with animals. 0ne can not therefor,
ptoGuce q large crop of corn from seeG
mat has been used to grow among s
number OF barren stalks. Where 1--WE
stalks have grown in hill, and but ont
has borne an ear, that corn Is useless foJ
seed. S ed should be selected from s
crop where esch stalk bears at lesst one
ear, and If there is sn attempt a. two.
if it De only in the shape or q hust
wi hout even 8 nubbin. the ear from .ha
stalk should be chosen. Tais hsbit o.
shesting out ears at the joint may be
encouraged in this way, and varieties
with stalks producing several ears nave
thus been originated. But unless the
seed has been selected with care il is il.
vain TO expect large yield of corn.
The eel Is the first requisite. The soil
is the next. Too itch soi is not prolific
OF grain. Enormous stalks often appesi
with the smallest nubbins, or only mode
rate ears. Excessive manuring will not
help the yield of grain so much az the
production of foliage. The popular
method of planting corn on clover SOC
may not be advisable in sli cases. This
is an eastern practice, and is disregsried
in the west. 1t grows under the neces-
sity for some auxiliary fertilizing by 70
tstion of crops, the preventing OF weeds,
and the saving of labor in cultivation
an eastern farm being unable TO gloW
weeds and corn both. We have come to
that now in the west, although we follow
wheat with corn, or corn with corn and
do not depend much upon breaking up &
sod fOr this crop. 1t may be a question
it it is not wiser to carefully nurse q sod
and try to get more permanent meadow
chsn we used to have, rather than break
IT up so frequently. But to grow good
crop OF corn 1t Is not necessary to turn
under SOD. Subble land will produce
heavy crop, II it is rich enough in the
right sort OF fertilizers, and is kept free
from weeds. Where the soil is not in
good condition manuting is necessary ;
70 put the manure 10 the hill or 0Tll, l.
the best method: The crop then gets its
fo4i when and where it needs it the
most.
An early start is the great point. One
ear may be matured on stalk with a
late start, but TO mature the secondary
ears and give them their full growth, i,
impossible unless the crop makes a start
rom the first and keeps it up. Ii we
use only small quantity of manure il
The hill to start the plant ard the roots
have then to grope several inches, or
feet, away into the soil for food. time il
lost and the crop is sacrificed. No sitter
start can make up for this lost time. An
excellent fertilizer TO start the growth is
q good handful of mixed poult y manure,
wood ashes and plaster. This old
fashioned fertilizer has in it all that the
modern formulas provide - nitrogen,
! phOsph0ric acid, potash and lime; and
the useful EFF ct upon the soil, in 4
chemical way, of these materials, as well
| But there must be something else. II
stimulating fertilizers are used in the
hill or dull, manure must be provided
| outside and near at hand to furnish TODD
As soon as the former have been 'ex@
hausted SO that there should be either
hounti'ul provision 0! manure in the
hill or drill and good dressing of soluble
eFtilizer in the soil outside OF those, or
vice veTsG Either will answer the pur-
pose required.
the next point l. cultivation. This
should b. Immediately after the seed is
sOwn or st least be'ore s weed is to be
seen. By running the cultivator in the
rows very soon after planting, the soil
IS lnnsenSG, the young, spr0uting weeds
are killed outright before they nave done
any harm, and the manure and soil sre
more closely intermingled. Whatever
NAV be the effect otherwise If C Iltiva-
ton of the soil, We know that 1t helps
the crop. The best crops are raised by
the Use Of the plow, occasionally, in the
rows. 1t may be the root pruning, a.
it is claimed By DR.. Sturtevsnt; it may
be the mellOwing and aersting OF the
soil it may be that the soil ls kept moist
ABOUT the roots by covering them more
deeply; or It may be all OF these; but il
is certainly true that the big crop. thai
have been grown have been cultivated
With the pillow mora or less SuckeFiug
may be dispensed with. Indeed viii
some varieties OF corn, this habit O
sUckering adds to the weld. az the early
suckers often bear ears. The stripping
Of the suckers stimulates the growth d
the stalk, and thst is to be avoided
when we sre enveavOriDg to produce
grain. Nothing remains to be done aftel
this but when the attempt is made K
grow crop Of unususl yield, q dressing
Of one hundred and fifty pounds per acre
Of disco we'd bone or Peruvian euano O
low grade in ammonia, may be cultivated
n 81 the last working. This Will hell
the formation of ears, and as it will co,t
frcm So to 81 80 per acre, six to ter
bushels of corn per scre extra will pay
;or it. The filling out OF all the imper
fect ears will far more than make up thii
quantity, and every corn grower knows
now many imperfect esrs there are il
the best crop grown. From recent sue
ces ses in growing large cr.ps of corn, i
is difficult 10 say what the full possibili
ties of this crop may BE-; one hundred
bushels per acre are now frequently
grown, and it ia thought possible this
this yield may be greatly surpassed
The truth is we are shout now b ginning
20 learn how to grow corn.