The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1880-03-26
How to Grow 100 Bushels of Corn Per
Acre

Having properly plowed and pulverized
| the land we must think of the manuring-
| Experience and reasoning alike give us n
| rule: Always keep the manure near the sur.
| face. Thus we recommend TO either spread
the dung broadcast before using the harrow,
or else to harrow the field once and then
spread the manure, according to whether the
iertlliZng material is very coarse or is very
finely prepared. If the manure be very straw
it may be necessary to spread it in the fur
row and cover it lightly. Which of these
methods to pursue, every farmer can readily
determine by the looks of his barn deposit =
If the land be so wretchedly poor, and the
dungheap small, that the farmer feels con-
strained to put everything right about the
| seed, we have nothing to say. Such is not
the soil or the conditions which would lead us
to eXpecta 100 bushel crop.
1t will be found, however that corn is the
| only crop that always responds with certain
ty 10 the right application of fertilizers. In
deed, taking into consideration the fact that
the farmer should each year cultivate more
land than his manure will cover, it is good
policy to keep the dung for the grass nr,t
| the grain, the potato field, the orchard and
the garden, and to buy fertilizer for the corn.
One great mistake farmers sometimes make
those farmers we mean who attempt the
premium crops in applying too much
manure, or too little cultivation, we hardly
know which. Experiment will tcach others,
as 1t has taught us, that too much fertility
in the field causes leaf TO form at the expense
of grain. Too little fertility can never give
the large crop If we cultivate with refer
cnce to the amount of manure applied, that
is, root-powcr, the richer the land the more
abundant the crop. Rich land must be con
trolled by the farmer, Just az poor land must
be fortified. Without control, the harvest
is, in either case, less than it shou)dbe
The amount ofmannre il will pay to apply
cannot he fixed upon for all characters of
soil, for some will need more then others
We only know that, as rule, for common
crops too little is used, and for premium crops
too much for profit. When land is az rich
as il should be that is, il contains all the plant
food it can retain without over;much waste, il
is preferable with farm crops to apply only sui
ticient To leave il in the same condition after
the crop is removed. On such land, n litth
manure applied frequently smore economical
than much manure applied occasionally
Unfortunately, however but few farms are
in this blessed condition of soil PERHAPS
as n general rule five or six cords pcr acre
is sufficient; but if the price OF corn is high,
then more may be adyantagcously given, if
we also cultivate rs freely; which latter
will he considered hereafter In using fer.
tiiizcrs, the same principles apply, as II luIr,
but let il be remembered that phosphorr
acid is a most important constituent in the
soil; that it is a,difficut one to distribute, and
that it never wastes by leeching. Hence the
farmer that looks beyond the present year
would rather apply this in excess, each time
gaining its physiological action on the plant,
and storing some for future crops
The grand secret ofmanuring for corn is,
however, to keep the fertility near the sur
face when applied, and it is rare that another
course is advisable. 1t is best TO harrow or
brush to distribute more evenly; and then,
by shallow ploughing, prevent loss of nitro.
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