The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-06-05
SOUTHERN FARM AND HOME.
Corn Cultivation.

The following, taken from the New
England Farmer, shows how they raise
corn in New Hampshire. We may not
be willing to expend as much labor and
care upon the crop here, but there are
some hints In this that it would not be
smiss TO take:
The subject thst most claims my
thought Just now is corn growing. 1t
surprises me 10 see how little skill the
msiority of farmers apply to corn rails
ing. the same old style of preparing
the soil; the same old system of manur
ing: the same old method of planting;
the same old ways of cultivation, and the
same old mode OF harvesting. Some Of
Ms farmers act as If it was revealed" to
our great-great-grandfath just how to
raise corn TO the best advantage. Since
men of business bid up on the salary of
the "boys," my help has been short to
carry on the necessary work of the farm.
Necessity has driven me to plsn tU do
much work with little help, and when /
do hire / always plan to carry double
swath. Believing in corn raising-that
must be planted, tended and harvested.
How to raise crop with the least labor
was buc bLuhgs Up W NALC blDlS ShC
ground is prepared and ready for plant
ing, nothing has been gained by study
and change of action, except TO deliver the
manure by shedding aDd deposit II IN plles
with foot of meadow muck (also deliv-
cred by sledding) beneath it TO absorb
the leakage, and to be mixed with the
manure before using. The mixing is
usually done with team and pillow, using
an OK or scraper to pile it up again. Ny
ground has usually been furrowed three
aud a half feet, but it should be our
feet. My manure being broaen and
"fned" by the plow and scraper, it is
thrown into the cart; two men and
bedy are needed to do this part OF the
Job. The team is put astride iurrOw,
and while the boy drives steadily along,
the two men haul the manure out
through hole or holes in the tail>bosrd
OF the cart. By little extra fixing OF
the tsil-bosrd, SO as to guide the manure
into the furrow, two burrows can be
"closed" at once, provided the two men
are spry and attend strictly to the JOB
on hand. From ten to fifteen minutes
is sufficient time to unload in this way.
If the manure lies close to the corn
patch, the two men and the boy viii put
out twenty or thirty loads day. The
objections of manuriHg in the hill have
been the danger Of drying up and the
expense of handling in the old way.
The latter objection is Obvisted, for /
think il takes no more time 10 put out
the manure in this way than it does to
spread il for narrowing. The other OBJ
lection is obvisted by using tinker"
hauled by horse, which does not take so
much labor as the narrowing in the man.
ure if spread. To make the mixer, take
two inch hard wood plank, three feet
long and q foot wide; bore holes and set
in five or six teeth from the old spike
toothed harrow, slanting well back and
SC arranged that they viii not clod. At
the rear end fix in an old fashioned cul,
tivatOr tooth, or something that will
answer the same purpose attach handles
and hitching gear for your horse. Run
this right in the furroW. Three times
will usually do the job, the last time
taking care that the cultivator tooth
leaves g straight, true mark. The drill
is now ready for the seed, which should
be furnished in shout double the guam.
tity that is usual on rough, bunchy soil.
Scatter it evenly in the drill, which can
be done very rapidly after little prsc-
tice. The seed in 1t is now ready fer
covering. 1t will be seen at g glance
that the mixer leaves q splendid seed
bed. ] cover with the horse hoe. Mine
is the kind with three little plows. Take
off the front one, aud set the others so
that they will turn each a furroW upon
the corn. This may look like q careless
way of doing it, but it has been my
practice for three or Jour years, and my
soil is what is termed hard up land, always
taking from six to ten loads of stones
from sn acre every time it is plowed.
The corn usually comes up too thick to
stand, but the crows take their share,
and the worms get their living, and the
rest is thinned with the hoe very rapidly,
leaving it standing not less than eight
Inches apart, and in as straight q line SIS
possible, SO that on running the horse
shoe ii can be run very near the corn.
The thinning should not be done until
the com is six inches high. The FIRST
and second hoeiDg are done with the
horseshoe. The third operation is TO
turn a very light fuTrow against either
side OF the corn with q light horse pillow.
The weeds may be kept down between
the rows by the horseshoe. But few
weeds will escape the plow near the
corn what do escspe are easily disposed
Of On good soil corn can be raised in
this way Ct less cost than if hilled, and
standing eight inches asuhder, not one
stalk in g hundred but will have one or
more ears upon it. It will be readily
seen that the work is much less. That
get more corn per acre by drilling, am
sure, by actual experiment. What I
need is machine inst will do the work
Of nay mixer snd plant the corn at the
same time. will close this rather
lengthy letter by saying that ! find q
great advantage in running my horse.
shoe through my corn after it has
spindled, and is not inclined 10 "shoot
ears" 1t appears to check the growth
of stalk and sets it to earring. suppose
this would be called ''reot pruning"
HOME HINTS.
HAM BALLS Chop fine cold cooked