Sharp County record., 1883-08-16
Flat Cultivation Of COrn'

The idea of level culture for corn a. ~ ',oi ~
no means a new one, though 1t Is, "1 ,;.oo sor
far from being put into general tnoIi PraG'
tice tI. As long ao6 as when Judge buell.,
we @ believe It Was, v had charge OF t tne
Cult5vat0r before its union WI mi'n r,unb U
Country Gentleman, there M4S 70. luuop norn
said in favor of level culture lor corr, e,n,
and he NAV have been among the nIs'
to have favored it. So long has :, the
idea prevailed that corn muSI pe - met ,lloot
chat this other method IS SLOW 9N W a1,-" 4iIE"
with general approval ! ! me Ds,E sthlAs thnAs
will blow down, if not hilled' say tnese
advocates of the hlling system Will MI1n
some show of confidence IN the argu-
ment, but experience has IN more @ chan
one case proved the contrary lnoeeo ee
It sometimes happens that where the
corn is hilled and is blown over py a
lard storm. the stalks are preVenteu
ftom regaining an erect position by tne
pressure of soil upon them. A look al
the root system Of the compliant may
throw a little light on the subject
The main roots Of this plant vii
strike deep down, provided they nave
mellow soil in which to penetrate
That they are pretty well fastened nd
one will deny, if, when the stalks have
hardened, he tries topull them up "by
the roots The deep plowing OF corn
is detrimental in some respects, though
pruning of the rorts, which deep-plow,
inc accomplshes, is held by some to
check growth of stalk and favor the
formation of the grain; this on very
rich land, where growth is rampant.
In considering th' support which the
stalk derives fromthe roots, we should
notice what part tie laterals play, Ii
they are severed then piling up dirt
around the stalks quite necessary, be-
cause they are ppvented from perform
inc one of their important functions,
hence it is that dep plowing and high
hilling must 90 bgether. Some farmers
make it practic of plowing as deep as
they can, and consequently must sever
the roots of th plant which in a
months time viii extend from row tc
row. Such practce is not advisable for
such rapid-gpwing plant as the
maize, which has but a short time IN
which to grow aid produce its grain,
Stirring the foreground, especially II
the weather be Gy, is very advantage
Gus, and in levelculture this is all that
is needed. In havy soils, where there
is liable to be an excess OF moisture,
hilling slightly nay be found more adj
vantageOuS.
1t may not beamiss in this connec-
ton to note the necessity of improving
the corn crop of the country in every
possible way, anl it is claimed by many
that fiat culturewill aid very material
" in this. Whn we consider that the
average yield Ier acre for the whole
country was butabout twenty-tour Dush'
els in 1882, ther is certainly room for
Improvement. There is many a farm
in Massachusetts and New York W hlch
without extra Cultivation can produce
t!.ts thirty forty syi fH ar! aga p. perhaps sixty
evident that there are many that do not
approach those figures. What are we
to do about it? Give a more thorough
preparation to the corn ground; pulver-
ize it until it is mellow and the mellow
er the better. Be more careful in the
selection of seed; in getting that which
has full vitality; in adapting variety to
climate and soil. Give the crop clean
cultivation and keep the weeds down;
let the surface be mellow and there will
be a noticeable increase in the corn crop
and, as a result, like increase in the
farmers revenue therefrOm. Cor
Springfield (MaSS.) Republican,