Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-08-07
INDIAN. CORN.

INDIAN CORN.
The Prevailing Methods of Cultivation Of
the Cereal.
The methods of c~ultivating this crop,
like all other operations on the farm, |
has changed very much during the last
quarter of a century. The introduce
ton Of ~labor-saving machines and the
increase in the price of labor, have
made the hand hoe too expensive an
implement to use very much in the
cultivation of field crops, so the old
way Of blowing corn, and then using
the hand hoe to hill it up has been very
generally abandoned, and each farmer
has used his best Judgment as to what
method of cultivation is best to adopt
on his particular farm. Many very in
;telligent farmers have adopted the
method of narrowing the young corn;
at first this was used only for the first
time, but now it is frequently used
after the corn is more than six inches
high. When this is done the corn is
very badly disturbed, and is so pressed
over that much of it will lie on the
ground, presenting an appearance that
indicates that it has been greatly in
jured, especially if the weather be fair
and the wind be dry; but in a few days
the corn m up again, and seems
to grow the faster for the rough usage
The advocates of this method contend
that there is no way that the weeds can
be kept down so easy and at the same
time tighten up the soil and bring it in
good condition for rapid plant
growth. Never having tried this
method of cultivation we can
not speak from our own experience,
but from observation we are in
clined to the opinion that it is a great
saving of labor, and there appears to
be no serious objections to it. The
practice is evidently gaining favor
among the large farmers; every year
increases its number of advocates.
Those who oppose this method claim
that the harrow destroys a portion of
the corn by pulling it up, unless it be
planted deeper than is beneficial to the
crop; and they assert that as the har-
row is not intelligent, it is just as likely
ito destroy a stalk of corr as a weed.
This is probably true, providing the
weeds are as large as the corn and the
seed was as deep down as the corn was
planted. AS most of the weeds grow
from seed near the surface, and as the
harrow is started when the weeds are
small, no doubt the destruction of
corn.
A considerable portion of the farmers
use a horse hoe or a c%ultivator, instead
of a harrow, to keep the corn-fields in
!good condition. When this is done the
hand hoe has to be resorted to in weedy
land, or the weeds and grass will grow
in the hills where the horse hoe and
%cultivator will not reach them unless
the horse hoe be used in a manner to
hill the corn, and thus smother the
weeds and grass with the earth; but
there is an objection to this method,
especially on high dry land, the killing
process causing the corn to suffer for
want of moisture, but on rather moist
land this may be the cheapest and the
best method of cultivation.
H. There is still another method of cul-
.tivation that is claimed to be n Of
the best, because it is cheap, and also
because it secures to the corn condi
tons that are more exactly adapted tt
its wants than any of the other method:
alluded to. For this method of cult
walton the corn is planted in hills, abou
forty inches apart, in straight row.
each way; as soon as the corn is up sc
it can be seen in rows a small pillow is
run through the corn lengthways of the
field, turning the soil from the corn or
each side of the row, thus making be
tween each two rows of corn what il
called a back furrow the corn thu
plowed is permitted to stand about ter
days, when the pillow is again rur
through the corn in the same manner
across the field, thus leaving the corr
on a small square hill where it will re
ceive the full force of the sun. No hanC
hoe is used at either plQwing, and the
corr is left to grow unmolested unit
the weather gets too warm, or too dry
for it to grow rapidly then a cultiva
tor or horse hoe is run through it boil
ways, which will not only completely
} level the land, but will thoroughly pul
verize it and destroy all of the weed
and grass, except directly in the hills
l and if the has been applied
near the surface it will be thorough,
: composted with the soil, and so com
, ;pleLely Q~ccOmpOSeu UnaC u large pOr
, ton Of it will have been converted int
plant food, so that when the corn root
l extend in the loose soil beyond the hill
5 it will make a very rapid growth. Thi
t method of cultivation prepares tn
l soil to withstand the drouth at just til
l season when the corn needs moisture.
The expense of cultivation is ur
: doubtedly more than it is by the use {
the harrow, but so trifling that the il
creased amount of corn will more tina
make it up. The hand hoe will nc
have to be used, and the land will b
: kept quite as clean of weeds as by til
use of the harrow or the horse hoe.
1t should be the practice of aver
farmer to go through his corn ticl
. and pull out all of the weeds that ma
have escaped the pillow or horse hoe
. by so doing it will be but a few veal
before the land will be co~mparatfvel
9 free from weed seeds, so that but yer
9 few will escape to require pulling j
: the autumn. Clean culture is now b.
lieved to be much the cheapest ate