The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-04-24
CORN.
Some OF the Methods Pursued by Farmers
Who Produce Phenomenal Crops.

Who Produce Phenomenal Crops.
Although the average yield of corn
| throughout the country last yesr was
less than thirty bushels per asre, the
product of many fields was over hun
dred bushels The difference between
the highest and lowest yields of corn
was greater than for almost any crop
produced. Farmers should endeaver
to bring up the yield of corn to the
highest point possible. Nearly as
much labor is expended on land that
produces but twenty bushels of corn
per acre as on that which Yields five
times that amount. The time spent in
blowing. and otherwise preparing the
soil is the same in either case. The
cost OF harvesting Is nearly the same.
More labor may be required to cut up
and put in shock large stalks OF corn
than those that are small, but it is
much easier to husk long. full-grown
eats than those that are short and
| small. The former are shelled the
| more readily whether the work is per-
formed by hand or by the aid of ma
chine. The quality of corn crop in
| almost every instance corresponds with
the quantity produced. The larger the
yield, the better is the grain. Both it,
keeping and its feeding qualities are
better.
Climate has much to do in insuring
large yield of corn. The latitude of forty
| degrees appears, to be most favorable to
| the production of corn. 1t is produced
| in all the Southern States, and in most
of them it is fairly profitable crop,
but the yield is much smaller than in
what is known as the ''corn belt.n In
places where the soil is naturally quite
rich, the stalks attain an enormous size,
| with correspondingly large ears. But
the size attained by the stalks makes it
| necessary to locate the hills so far apart
that their number on an acre is much
smaller than in the Northern States.
The warm season is much longer in the
| Southern than in the Northern States,
| and the continued warmth is favorable
to the growth of corn, but the heat is
likely to be attended by a long-continued
| drought, which prevents the ears from
| filling out. In favorable seasons as
large crops of corn are raised on the
| forty-second as on the fortieth degree
of latitude, though some more labor is
| required to produce it. Smaller va
ricties, and those that mature in a
| shorter time, are planted for prudential
reasons. AS the stalks are smaller, the
bills are placed nearer together, involv-
ing more labor in planning, cultivat on
and harvesting. Many of the largest
crops of corn reported last season were
| produced in the latitude of this city.
The grain was excellent and the fodder
| superior to that produced farther south
Many of the extraordinary crops of
corn produced last year-that is, those
where the yield was reported over a
hundred bushels per acre-were pro-
duced on land to which commercial
fertilizers had beeu literally applied
Several of the very large yields from
small fields were the result of applying
well-rotted stable manure, ashes and
bone-dust directly to the hill. A very
large proportion of the best crops,
however, were raised on land to which
no fertilizers had been applied that
season or the previous year. They
were produced ON red clover sod. The
| ground had in some previous year re-
| ceived very heavy dressing, which
had resulted in producing luxurious
| growth of clover. The coarse manure
| had become rotten in the soil and slim
ulated the corn plants in the earlier
period of their growth. Later in the
season the roots of the clover became
rotten, and furnished plant food. In
England it has long been the practice to
| raise clover with view of preparing
| the land to produce crop of wheat.
Experience in this country shows that
land can be fitted for raising corn in
the same way. In many parts of the
| West rolling land has been plowed and
planted to corn for so long time that
large gullies have been produced in it.
The soil has ais been impoverished by
raising the sane crop year after year.
These lands should have a period of
rest and regeneration Seeding them
to clover will produce the desired re-
suit in short time.
Very few of the premium corn crops
| reported were put in with a horse
planter. These machines are useful
and perhaps necessary in places where
labor is scarce and very large fields are
| to be planted. That they can drop and
cover corn as satisfactorily as can be
done by hand is not claimed. The
best results were obtained by laying
out rows with marker, dropping the
seed by hand, and covering it with the
hoe. The hand hoe was employed in
connection with the ELEVATOR in tending
the crop 1t was used before the plants
were sufficiently large to admit of the
running of the cultiyator between the
rows. The use of the hand hoe was the
most common in places outside the
"corn belt" where the people do not
rely chiefly ON an excellent soil ard
climate to produce good corn crop.
The employment of the corn-planter
| and the double-team cultivator has en-
abled western farmers to put in and
tend very large fields of corn, but it Is
obvious to every observer that these
implements have not resulted in in
creasing the yield per acre. Hand
planting and hand-hoeing appear to be
necessary to produce very large crops
Of corn in any part of the country.
Such, at least, is the report of those
who raised the premium crops last
season. = Chicago Times.