Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-05-04
CLEAN FIELDS AND HEAVY CROPS.


some Susse stions About Cultivation.
Country Gentleman.
There are two drawbacks in the
methods largely adopted by the farmers
of this country in the cultivation of their
CROPS during the first half of the season
These methods involve a needless expen.
diture of labor and permit an extensive
growth of weeds. The surface OF the soil
is not broken or stirred often enough. A
frequent pulverization would accomplish
two very important uses, namely, the
destruction of young weeds and an
increased growth of the crops. We have
shown on former occasions the Importance
of destroying weeds just as they are
commencing growth, and even before
they have reached the surface of the
ground, when the minute and tender
sprouts are broken by touch of the pull
verizing instrument. The experiment was
tried few years ago of passing the steel
rake weekly over given measured surface
in the garden, and allowing alongside an
equal acre to become covered with growth
of weeds from six inches to foot high
before killing them. A record was made
by the watch of the time consumed by
each method. During the two months of
growth it was necessary to pass the steel
rake eight times over the surface but
this was done 30 rapidly that only ono half
OF the time and labor were consumed that
were required to clear out once the tall
weeds from the growing crop. The crop
made onc-half more growth by the first
method, and tho seeds of the weeds in the
surface soil were thoroughly destroyed by
the eight operations. A successful farmer.
on whose rich fields about so bushels of
corn per acre were obtained by ordinary
management, assures us that by passing
the cultivator once a week between the
rows, until the corn was as high as the
horses back, he had increased the crop to
between 60 ond ~ bushels per acre.
A radical improvement would be made
on many farms by the adoption of tie
practice of keeping the surface-crust Of
the soil constantly broken, aud by never
allowing your weeds to see daylight. BY
thus clearing the farm OF foul seeds, i'll a
ing would be nearly superseded. To ac-
cure the best modern tools for cultivating
tho crops. The work should be COM
menccd before the young weeds have
reached the surface. Potatoes, for instance,
arc some weeks in the soil before coming
up, and during this period the ground
should be kept narrowed. the operation
being repeated as often as the young
weeds in the soil have sprouted, the har-
rowing breaking the sprouts and killing
the weeds just rs they are starting to grow.
In this way the foul stuff may be mate
rally reduced. The narrowing may be
continued after the potatoes have reached
the surface, and have grown some inches,
without injury to them. Corn may be
narrowed once before it comes up; and
with a fine, slant-tooth harrow the opera
ton may be continued every five days till
the plants are nearly foot high. This
will Obviate the labor Of hand hOeing.
After this, the one horse cultivator may
pass several times, running shallow so as
not to tear the roots, setting tho reversi,
BILE teeth first to throw the earth away
from the row of corn, and next
time against the row, very shal
low ridge being sufficient to cover
the young weeds as they are just
appearing for there will be no large ones il
the previous work has been promptly
attended to. We have adopted this course
of first narrowing and then cultivating
from and towards the row, aud left the
field as clear an a floor without any hand
hoeing. The repeated stirring of the sol
and keeping the crust broken, gave :
handsome crop of corn-decidedly larger
than when the whole treatment consisted
Of one or two dressings with the cultivation
and labOriOus ''hilling" with the hoe.