Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-09-08
A New System Of Corn Culture.

III eacn Iurmer nnU graln-urlll he
coulduse it TO put in fodder-corn and
for the purpose shall speak of. For
the want of knowing how TO do other
wise, farmers often SOW corn broadcast
and get feeble growth Of soft, washy
food; whereas, IL the same ground had
been used for n crop grown in drills and
properly worked, a much larger bulk of
fodder might have been obtained and
far superior in value. The reason why
there is so much controversy in regard
to green corn for fodder is because Of
the conditions of its growth, which
modify its value. When sown broadcast
there is no full or natural development
of either leaves or stalks; hence, the
juices are immature and weak. There
is an excess of woody fibre In the stalks,
and of water, with a much smaller pro-
portion of sugar than when the stalks
have room to develop fully and to grow
with the natural joints and outer shell,
with the interior pith, all of which are
necessary to constitute the little labora-
tory by which the sweet juice is matured,
which gives the cornstalk its value for
food. In order to have these rs perfect
as possible-and the more perfect the
greater the value-the stalks must not
be too thick in the row. Three bushels
of corn TO the acre is ample.
like to have the rows at least three
feet apart, so that they can be worked
through easily with horse. The seed
may be put in with grain-drill by stop
ping up the teeth between those desired
for sowing the seed. When a drill is
used il is best to follow it with q roller.
Il h,x lnI .,,
crops of fodder-corn by furrowing out
land with plow, three feet apart, and
scattering the seed by hand and covering
it with harrow. This year l went a
step further, and put in a field of corn in
the same manner which is designed for
the yield of grain. The corn came up
nicely, and promises to be fine crop.
1t was carefully distributed by hand in
the burrows, and is great deal nearer
being just right, with regard to thick
ness in the row, than aneighbor's which
was sown with q drill. His, notwith-
standing his precautions, is so thick it
will not ear well, This is the great dan
ger in putting corn in drills; hence, 1
prefer to scatter the seed by hand.
made our burrows perfectly straight by
first marking the ground and then ma
king the furrows after the marks. The
rows should be as straight as possible,
so that cultivation may be close to the
| plants, which saves hand-hoeing.
The possibilities of the harrow and
cultivator are not as much appreciated
| by farmers rs they should be, When
farmers learn that they can quite effect
ually hoe corn before ii is planted by
thoroughly working the ground and har-
rowing it after the seed is dropped, as
did, and narrowing it again after the
corn has come up, when the weeds first
begin to start, and then using the culti-
vator as soon as the rows can be followed,
they can double their corn area with nc
more time and labor than under the old
system of hand planting and hand hoe
ing; and when they know that corn in
drills will produce nearly twice rs much
fodder as when planted in hills, and
more grain. and that the planting can
be done great deal faster, it is reason.
able to suppose that corn will be planted
A man can drop corn in n drill and &C
ON brisk walk, and harrow will cover
two rows at time. When the land ha:
been furrowed and is mellow, the harrow
should be run lengthwise of the rows
but when it is not mellow it should bC
narrowed across the rows. Putting the
seed in q furrow causes it to germinate
sooner than when planted by hand, fol
the ground is moister than on the sur
face, and for the same reason the corr
will better withstand drouth. 1t is
covered more uniformly than with hoe
and comes up evener. | have an acr'
of sweet corn, planted in this manner
to cut up for the pigs, the seed being il
the boiling state last yearwhen gathered
The ears were spread around the stove
pipe in the kitchen chamber, where the,
got dry before freezing. and the sect
was good. Save the sweet corn for fod
der corn.-F. d. Curtis, in N. Y. Irib