The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-03-19
INDIAN CORN eRowrxG.
Reform. Demanded I'm the Cultfyatiou
OF This Crop.

Country GentlemanI
= 1T is getting to be fairly well understood
now by our bs st farmers that as in the case
OF wheat. so in that of Indian corn we must
reform our methods OF cultivatiug this crop
altogether. The land must be plowed in the
fall. and ii order to secure to the soil Its
best condition, the stalks of the years crop,
when corn succeeds corn, must be ployed
under. Just before planting time, the field
must have comparatively shallow (but
Thoroughly going over with light pillow. a
double shovel, or q sharp. long-toothed har-
row, which operations not only destroy the
starting weeds, but prepare good seed bed
Good seed having been selected with care. and
kept SO well in dry place that the germ is
ready 10 start at the contact of warmth and
moisture, it must be committed to a planter
which will insure even depth, covering and
distribution OF seed, from one end of the
field to the other. After planting, the field
must be rolled If the soil is dry, and har-
rowed ii moist, but left severely alone If wet
AS soon as the young plants show in the
rows. the harrow must he set going again, to
be followed by the cultivator, reinforced (,f
necessary by tine hoe, until the growth is
80 large as to render the movement of a horse
or mule through the rows too iaborious and
exhausting. In short, good stand must be
had at first and kept to end, and the weeds
must be subdued and destroyed. When
these instructions are followed and the ie-
climate result-a strong, full, upright crop
is obtained; at the epoch Of winter wheat
seeding, some time after the middle of Sep
TENDER, the grain may be sown IN the stand
ing corn by being thrown broadcast and
then covered by double shovel, or put in
by two or three or five spout drill, made
for the purpose. At harvest the corn may
be cut and put into shocks, or husked from
the row, the stalks left standing to protect
the wheat heritage during the winter, TO be
thereafter rolled or broken down some time
before the frost Is out of the ground. When
wheat succeeds corn, as in the manner de-
scrioed, or when oats, as q spring crop, are
sown on the corn stubble of the previous
year. the succeeding crops of corn are inve-
rIably found to be vastly increased
Indeed the increased crops of Indian
corn which are pretty sure TO follow Imme-
disteiy after wheat OR oats. are thought to be
sufficiently large to warrant the practice of
this simple rotation, even though. so far as
the yield or gain is concerned. the oats or
wheat ara wholly lost. On the strong, black
soils of Illinois. and l believe of all other
soils equally rich in nitrogen, il the object
OF the cultivator is to get the very largest
possible yield of shelled corn wood or coal
ashes, or superphosphate of lime are far
preferable 10 barnyard manure, since the
latter is sure to stimulate immense growth
of stalk and leaf, at the expense OF ear, while
| the former seems to have the effect of dwarf
ing leaf aud stalk growth, and increasing the
length of the ear and size and depth of the
Kernel AT leasssach nGs been the ex perienee
of the writer, and such of a noticing ago
correspondent of the Country Gentleman,
who, writing from Tennessee, told how the
| corn grown on the river bottoms attained
prcdigious development of stalk, both in
height and diameter. yet bora ears of a
measure comparatively trifiing, while the
upland soils, though producing stalks OF
much less dimensions, yielded ears of a size
far superior. 1t is something more than
probable, If the river soils, where put I'M
der a corn crop. were treated 70 wood ashes
to the extent Of half a shovelful to stalk
or hill. we might be called to witness de
velopment of both stalk and ear which
would enlarge our knowledge of the phe
nomena of corn growth and yield.