The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1885-04-02
Good Farming.

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of inattention to their crops, bust
ness, hired help, aud share troopers
as the same appeared to me; not
that 1t concerned you or myself 81
much, but only to silence so mucl
everlasting croaking and grumbling
which almost monopolizes the time
OF many farmers when they should
be at something more profitable
be there and see to your business
see that your stock are fed, see youl
ground plowed, your seed sown and
planted, and your crops gathered
and l will guarantee less croakins
and less said about the worthless
hired help; what you can do well
yourselves do not trust to Others
and all will be well.
Now is the time, and the season
Is spleHdid, to break and prepare
the land for the spring crops. The
land breaks well and mellow now,
and is dry enough for the plow; per
haps 10 the spring, at the time
when corn ought to be planted, the
ground will be too wet to break
and prepare as it should be, to
plant in the proper time, therefore
lose no time now in getting ready
for spring planting.
About the bsst crops ever made
were upon land prepared in the ear
ly winter for planting, and the
seeds were planted as my neighbors
were beginning to prepare for it. 1t
Is well attested fact that the most
successful corn raisers of our coun
try were in the. habit of being ready
and of planting their corn in the
open spell usually appearing from
the middle of March to the lst OF
April. This was the habit'or far
mers in ante bellum times, it origi-
mated from the. fact that cotton must
be painted from the 1st to the 10th
April, and the corn had to be planted
first, so as to be up and replanted
and ready to be worked before the
cotton was cup and ready to be
scraped. 1t was learned in this
way that nine times out of ten the
early planted corn succeeded best,
and especially when the land was
prepared before hand, and was ready
for the seed when the time came to
plant. l am not prepared to say it
is any great advantage to expose
the land to the winter SHOWS and
rains, but claim the great advan
tage is in turning!the land when tits
in proper order to turn, and when it
is not too wet, which is more likely
to be in the early winter than in the
spring. With this view on the sub
iect, l try to make it a rule to do
my breaking and preparation in the
winter and my planting in the early
spring, and l ko it IL this way: 1
turn my land with large plows
where it does not need subsoiling,
and let it alone; where the land is
old and-thin, l scatter all the ma
nure ! can get on the poorest spots,
and [ turn it under with large
plows, and follow the turning pIows
in the same furrow as a subsoiler
with long bull tongue, and Jet il
rest until the first open spell safter
5he middle of March. When that
comes run heavy harrow over
.he broken land, and follow the har
row steaking off the land with q
arge Avery plyw, followed by the !
'ubsoiler one way. If [ check / |
lrop the subsoiler while checking,
because the check for the seed is
luit deep enough already, and l
cover the corn with hoe. If ! |
lrill, l use the planter. l am now
and plowing for this
mode Of planting and blowing cloV
er sod land. Another great advan-
age of this early planting is that
you avoid the cut worms in the
spring, which is very annoying, es-
1ecially on clover and grass sod, if
eft alone until spring before turn
ng, not that the winter kills them
,ut so bad, but the early planted
;orn gets ahead of the worm and
gets so far advanced the worm has
,ut little effect upon it, as it would
f planted later.
Some farmers advocate rebreak-
ng in the spring. l always break
md subsoil well in the eutset, and
ct tho land lie in this condition as
ong az possible. And to do this !
commence cultivating with the har
oW, and run that over as often as it
loes any good-untll the corn is
rom six to ten inches high, then 1
.pply the double shovel, or Bell |
Buckle shooter as the land seems to
seldom using the turning
,low in the cultivation Of tho crop,
,refering to cultivate on the level.
rhe better the land is prepared, and
he better the crop is cultivated,
he better is the crop-greater the
ield. 1 conclude, therefore, that if
he acreage was lsssened, and the
improved, and the cul-
ivation bettered, more corr and
,ettsr corn would be raise. NJ.