Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-07-28
Clean Fields and Heavy Crops.

There are two drawbacks in the
methods largely adopted by the farm
ers OF this country in the cultivation OF
their crops during the first half of the
season. These methods involve a need
less expenditure of labor, and permit
an extensive growth of weeds. The
surface of tlc soil is not broken Ov
stirred often enough. A frequent pull
verzation 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 COM
mencing growth, and even before they
have reached the surla ,e of the ground,
when the minute and tender sprouts are
broken by touch of the pulverizing
implement. The experiment was tried
few years ago of passing the steel
rake weekly over a given measured
surface in the garden, and allowing
alongside an equal area to become COW
erei with growth of weeds from six
inches to a 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 so easily and rapidly that only
one-half of the time and labor were con-
sumed that were required to clear out
once the tall weeds from the growing
crop, The crop made one-half more
growth by the first method, and the
seeds of the weeds in the surface soil
were thoroughly destroyed by the eight
operations. A successful farmer, on
whose rich fields about fifty bushels of
corn per acre were obtained by ordinary
management, assured us that by pass
ing the cultivator once week between
! the rows until the corn was as high as
the horses back, he had increased the
crop to between sixty and seventy BUSH
els per acre.
A radical improvement would be
made on many farms by the adoption Of
the practice of keeping the surface
crust of the soil constantly broken, and
by never allowing young weeds to see
daylight. BY thus clearing the farm OF
foul seeds, in a few years the costly
labor of handwriting would be nearly
superseded. To accomplish this result
it is necessary to secure the best mod
ern tools for cultivating the crops. The
work should be commenced before the
young weeds have reached the surface.
Potatoes, for instance, are some weeks
in the soil before coming up, and dur
ing this period the ground should be
kept narrowed, the operation being re-
peated as often as the young weeds m
the soil have sprouted, the narrowing
breaking the sprouts and killing the
weeds Just as they are starting to
grow. In this way the foul stuff may
be materially 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
fine, slant-tooth harrow the
operation may be continued every five
days till the plants are nearly a
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 the reversible teeth first
to throw the earth away from the row
of corn, and next time against the row,
a very shallow ridge being sufficient to
cover the young weeds as they are just
appearing, for there will be no large
ones if the previous work has been
promptly attended to. We have
adopted this course-of first narrowing
and then cultivating from and towards
the row, and left the field as clean as a
floor without any hand-hoeing. The
repeated stirring of the soil 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 cultivator, and Ia
borious chilling" with the hoe.
In large fields, the one-horse cultivation
will, of course, give way to the Two
horse walking or riding cultivator. In
either case, such implements should b.
used as may be controlled perfectly and
guided so as to run within an inch Of
two of the row of plants; and the i'm
portance of straight and even rows il
therefore obvious. Country Gentleman