The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1883-04-07
In the Cern.Fleld.

Good seed corn is an essential to big
yield of corn, and yet there is no one
mistake that farmers more often commit
than the use of seed corn of inferior quail
ity. Good seed corn, with little or no
manure, willproduce better results than
inferior seed with high feeding, other
things being equal. BY all means, if you
plant at all, plant a prime article. Let
it be grain of excellent quality coming
from plant of prolific habit. Be sure
that the germinating powers of the grain
to be used as seed have not been injured.
Many losses will be avoided by testing
the seed previous to sowing.
The soil is the next requisite. 1t ought
to be rich and friable; not rich enough,
however, to produce a luxuriant growth
of foliage to the sacrifice of grain. Where
manure is required the better plan is to
sow it broadcast and pillow it in if it be
coarse or harrow it in if well pulverized
and decomposed. When manure is
thoroughly Incorporated in the soil the
roots Of the plants are certain to take it
up and the development of ear and grain
will correspond with that of stalk and
leaves. which is Moth case when linn
tied amount of fertilizers is placed in hill
or drill only To gain the best results
'arom the employment Of acknowledgements
terials in hill or drill available plant-food
must be near at hand and in sufficient
quantity to carry the plant once started
on to the perfection of its growth.
An early start is a great point gained
and the use of fertilizers in the hill is
of decided advantage, provided. as has
already been suggested, the soil outside
contains sufficient food to keep up the
growth of the plant. And now word
about the best fertilizers for corn. A set
formula for all soils and climate is IRA
tional. Every man must use judgment
in supplying the wants of his special soil:
must also depend upon the season. Ex-
periments conducted at the Connections
University grounds and reported upol
by Professor Atwater make il appear
that the largest crops may be expected
with mixture of superphosphate, pot
ash, salt and nitrate of soda; or better,
with nitrate of soda, sulphate of am
monia and dried blood, instead of nitrate
of soda alone.
Experiments reported from the Uni
versity of Virginia, made with corn and
different fertilizers, tend to establish the
following propositions: (D That fer
tilizers supplied by fine ground phos-
pilates, superphosphates and potash salts
do better for corn than the highly-nitro-
genized or ammoniated mixtures. (2)
That corn has generally succeeded well
without any artificial supply of nitrogen
and is always benefited by phosphates or
by potash. (3) That the opinion that
potash is generally found in sufficient
quantities in our soils and that an ar
tificial supply is not required is incorrect,
all crops are increased by the use of pot
ash salts, corn especially; in . word, the
presence of potash seems to be necessary
for corn to insure best'results.
Field experiments with fertilizers on the
corn crop, reported by the New Jersey
State Agricultural Experiment Station,
went to show that the best fertilizers for
corn on the college farm were barnyard
manure and muriate of potash. az Re-
suits from the average product for seven
years showed that neither sulphate of
ammonia nor superphosphate of lime
used alone increased the crop of corn or
of stalks. ~ Muriate of potash APP
piled alone increased the corn 49, per
cent. and stalks 26.5 per cent; this from
an average for ten years. (3) Barnyard
manure Increased the corn 36. Z and the
stalks "a per cent; this for an average
of five years. (4) A complete chemical
manure increased the corn 26.5 per cent.
and the stalks 1875 per cent.
The season for blowing corn varies. of
course, with the attitude, and after that
much depends on the weather; as soon
as the ia, are mild and the earth warm
and dry. whenever that may be. Large
areas are usually sown in drills and corn
planters and cultivators are adopted.
Flat culture is preferred except in soils
inclined to be wet. The distance of
planting depends on the variety of seed.
large growing sorts requiring more space
than the small sorts. The larger corn
requires drills of three and half to four
feet apart, while small corn does well at
q distance of three feet or less. The
seed ought not to be covered too deep,
two inches being all sufficient and more
than enough in mellow ground Guilt
walton must be thorough; t. e.. the ground
well stirred and the weeds down until
the tassels appear when, If the soil has
been properly prepared and worked, the
crop viii require no further attention
until the harvest-N. y, World.