The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-05-25
Clean Fields and Heavy Crops.


There are two drawbacks in the me.
thods largely adopted by the farmers
OF this country in the cultivation dur
ing the first half of the season. There
methods involvc-the needless expendi.
ture of labor and permit an extensive
growth of weeds The surface of the soil
is not broken or stirred often enough.
A frequent pulveriza.ion would accom-
plish two very important uses, namely,
the destruction of the 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 aud ten
der sprouts are broken by touch of
the pulverizing instrument. The ex-
pertinent was tried few years ago of
passing the steel rake weekly over a
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 so rapidly that only
one half of the time and labor were
consumed that were required TO clear
out once the tall weeds from the grow
ing 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 80 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 and 70 bushels 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 your weeds to see
daylight, BY thus clearing the farm
with foul seeds, in few years the cost
ly labor of hand wedding would be
nearly superseded. To accomplish this
result it is necessary to secure the best
modern tools for cultivating the crops.
The work should be commenced before
the young weeds have reached the sur
face. Potatoes, for instance, are 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
narrowing breaking the sprouts and
killing the weeds just as they are start
ing to grow. In this way the foul stuff |
may be materially reduced. The har-
rowing may be continued after the po- |
tatoes 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 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 re-
versible teeth first to throw the earth
away from the row of corn, and next
time against the row, very shallow
ridge being sufficient to cover the young
weeds as they are just appearing for
there will be no large ones if the pre-
vious 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 clear as a floor without any
hand-hoeing. The repeated stirring of
the soil and keeping the crust broken,
gave handsome crop of corn-decid-
ediy larger than when the whole treat
ment consisted of one or two dressings
with the cultvator and laborious chill.
ing with the hoe.-Coeatry Gentle
man.