Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-05-02
Corr and Usrn.

Cofn anu Corns
The greater excellence of "sod-corn''
has become proverbial. It is true that no
other ground yields such bountiful crops
Of so great excellence. as sod ground.
this shows that green manuring is best
for corn The barn-yard and stable
manures should be saved for small grains
and vegetable crops, while grasses and
clover are sown to be plOwed under
for corn Red clover is the best ma
nure for corn, and is the most profitable
crop as well. In the great corn produce
Ing States swine are largely raised and
clover for summer pasture produces
cheap pork while 1t is the foe of swine
plaque and turned under will increase
the yield of corn for winter feeding;
hence the wisdom of having clover sod
for corn.
Sod ground is better plowed in the
fall. in my opinion The sod can not
yield the corn any available plant food
until decomposed, and if plowed in the
autumn it will partly decompose during
the winter and be ready for the corn
in the spring. For the same reason the
seed-bed can be more easily prepared if
the sod is turned under in the autumn.
and there will be no tough pieces of sod
to interfere in cultivation of the corn.
The great objection to the fall blowing
of the other ground-that it solidties
during the winter-does not apply to sod
ground 1t will seen that am strong
advocate Of the fall blowing of sod.
Yet have raised splendid crops of corn
upon sod broken in the spring. The
breaking should be done early before
40 hoNro -ty Al Il fn,
Quite frequently sod can be- plowed be-
fore other ground is dry enough to pillow
for oats.
II corn is to be put upon stalk ground
the stalks should be effectually disposed
of. 1t is no economy of time to simply
drag the stalks down leaving them up
on the ground to hinder and vex
throughout the cultivation of the corn.
Two modes of disposal are worthy of
commentator: cult NC into bits with a
cutter, and raking them into windows
and burning them. The last method is
the most laborious and not infrequentl
rain comes upon the windrows delay
/ ing the burning of the stalks and max
ing their complete destruct on exceed
ingly difficult. A good cutter will dis
pose of the stalks as far Is hindrance in
cultivation is concerned as effectually
as raking and burning. / prefer one
with spiral knives. The knives should
be sharp and the stalks quite dry.
am not what could be called an adj
vocate of deep blowing but pillow deep
for corn - deeper than for oats and
wheat. The only reason which l have
to give for this is that believe l raised
the best crops on deep, plowed ground.
Corn is a gross feeder, and if only a
shallow seed-bed is prepared it will be-
come Impoverished in a few years.
Deep blowing is antagonistic to drouth
and our corn crops are most often cut
short by drouth in midsummer and
early autumn. And the ground should
be plOwed thoroughly as well rs deeu.
The ground should he turned completely
! upside down. If il is turned only on
edge the weed seeds will terminate at
once and Outstrip the corn. Some farm
ers say they prefer to have sod thrown
upon edge but when blowing sod | want
a plow that will turn it upside down,
smoothly and without breaking. can
then loosen it enough to have good
seed-bed without tearing sods face up
ward To grow among the corn. Apropos
OF thorough blowing for corn / wish to
! say that it is n common mistaken notion
tlat any boy who can hold the pillow
along the furrOw can do a good job of
blowing, or at least one good enough.
/ frequently see boys blowing who are
so small that thew must reach up to the
pillow handles. The boy may be a good
bow but he is too small to pillow. To
make good work with walking pillow
is a mans work. A pillow should be
held to cut a uniform depth and wild h.
l have found it TO be decidedly risky
to use roller upon corn ground unless
the harrow Immediately follows it.
believe in q liberal use of the roller
upon ground in the fall, because then
the ground is dry and hard rains infre
quent. But in the spring the ground is
wet and sticky; the roller does moi
crush the Jumps, il only spreads then
out into fiat layers: and when HARD
IA n comes, and such rains are frequent
in the spring. it puts the ground il
worse condition than it was before i
was plowed. l got caught in this way
several times, and sad experience taught
me to be exceedingly careful how
used the roller on corn ground. Gen
orally the Jumps are so soft that har
row will cut and pulveriZe them, max
ing better Sc d-bed than a roller
would However, roller may b,
safely used If it is followed by harrow
The drag does work equally as well as
if not better, than the roller, and the
objections to the roller do not apply
TO it.
Although do not advise the use o.
the roller upon corn ground must no
be understood as implicitly saying tina
corn ground should not be put in thu
very best of condition for the seed
Half of the work of cultivation may b.
done before the seed is planted and /
is economy of time and labor to do so
The ground under and immediately
a ound the hills can not be stirred afte
the seed is planted. and if it is not pull
verified before planting it must remain
lumpy throughout the season. GrounC
yields sustenance to crops only in pro
portion as it is in a fine condition; j
the ground Is lumpy when the seed i
planted the plants must Ian yuish at tn
commencement of their growth, an,
this stunning will be perceptible all tn,
season; on the other hand, if the groun,
has been put in fine filth, the plan
will be vigorous from the very incep
ton of their growth, and this superior
ity will be noticeable during the season
Another advantage of the thorough
preparation of the sced-bed is that tn,
after work of cultivation can be bette
and more easily done. The price of
good corn crop is intelligent, thorough
work from the very beginning.-Joh'
". Stab, in Prairie Farmer.
e