Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-17
MAnvRL oF KANsAs FARNIERs.
An Invention That Enables tho Maize
Plants To DEFY Drought and Frost.

The Western agriculturists, who wisely
believe that the road to wealth leads
through corn fields to the pens and pas
lures whore hogs and cattle are fed, and
wao ,ill the rich lands lying adjacent to
the ARID belt, have for years demanded a
tool that would enable them to plant their
seed corn so deeply in the ground that,
when their fields were laid by, the main
roots Of the corn plants would be thrust
deep into the moist earth that always
lies below the thick LAYER Of dry, dusty
soil that covers the surface of Western
corn fields during drought.
Tie system 81 corn cultivation In gem
eral lse in the semi-arid belt, whore hot
soutf west winds arc apt to sweep across
the country aud blast all vegetation, has
been fiat cultivation. The corn WAS
planted about two inches deep IN the
slight Impressions made by corn ground
markers or check ruwers. With the aid
OF 2-horse cultiNatOrs the ground was kept
clear OF weeds The corn was not billed
up. 10 suffered severely during drohghts.
Deep planting was tried 1t generally
resulted in poor stand; and the addi-
tl0ual length Of time necessary for deeply
planted corn To appear above the ground
gave the weeds that thickly infest all the
nch corn lands or the West time TO car
pet be soil before the corn rows were
sufficiently plain 70 enable the farmers 20
start their weed-exterminating cultiVa-
tors TINS would necessltate the use Of
hoes % cut weeds out Of corn hills. The
majority % Western corn Taisers stub
bOrnly refuse to use hoes They assert
that hoes should not De used in corn
fields OF extensive area. where every
workman and team are required 10 make
from 40 10 SO acres OF corn.
The uPlauds lying in the semi-arid belt
have never been considered good corn
lands, excepting by dishonest loan agents
VINO invest for 10 per cent. commission
the money owned by creGulous East
ern men in Western farm mortgages.
few years SgO A listing pillow Was in
Veuted, by whom ! was unable 10 learn.
This pillow, with the Improvements added
by the farmers, or suggested by them, is
now perfected ard in use on the best m9n-
Jagged OF the corn farms Of the semi-arid
belt. The perfected pillow Is called by the
farmers lister. 1t has two mold boards
each - inches wide. springing from
the opposite sides OF p heavy shin. At
tacbed 20 the shin, and running behind it
in the double fuirow thrown by the lis
ter, is small double mold board subsOi
pillow. To this is attached a corn planter
whose mechanism admits Of its being set
20 drop a kernel Of corn at any required
interval. The corn is fed through a spout
that discharges directly behind the sub
soil pillow, and 10 the full depth it loOseus
The soil. The expectation, which prscti-
cal working IN the field proves TO fulfil.
WGs that the loose earth thrown up by the
subsoil plow would roll back and cover
thalseed corn
Bow does the lister work? The trash
and Aittor that cumbers the ground to be
planted to corn, generally an Old corn
Iieids is raked into windows By heavy,
revolving. COrn-stalk rakes attached TO
farm wagons. When the wind is in the
right direction the windows are burnt
-Four powerful horses are hitched to the
lister. The reservoir Of the corn planter
As filed with seed corn. The driver
mounts. The heavy pillow is thrown clear
otihe ground by lever that ls within
easy reach OF the driver as he sits in his
seat, and the team is driven to the field.
IGere the lister is set to plOw a furrOw
eight inches deep. The subs0i pillow is
set 10 plOw three inches deeper. The
corn planter is adjusted to drop kernel
OF corn at the desired intervals. and its
MEG banism is connected 10 that Of the
ha8vy Wheels the lister is mounted upon.
Tne point of the lister is inserted into the
corn stubble OF the previous years growth.
The team IS started. They strain heavily
as the lister takes ground, and then set
'tlepown 60 a steady, sweat-startIng pull.
Inc back earth turns in deep burrows
from both sides OF the pillow, cutting a
trench which, theoretically, should be
two feet wide and eight inches deep, and
lftuthar trenched by the subsOIl pillow: but
really the trench is in the shape of V,
oh u4x H.,.,,a s,....
lies two inches deeper. The furrOW
which has been thrown out covers the I'M
plowed soil for foot on each side of the
trench. The far side otthe field reached,
tue lister Is thrown out of the ground bv
another lever, the team turned, and the
lister set between the next adjacent rows
of corn stubhle. This operation, continu-
ally repeated until the field Is plowed,
ridges the field as though for celery. Bv
thls system Of plOwing but one-half Of the
soil is annually plOwed. But that is
plOwed 70 a depth OF from ten TO twelve
inches. One man and four horses are eX-
lpected TO pillow and plant eight acres per
day. The greater portion Of the rain that
may fall runs into the bottom OF the trench
where the seed corn lies, and where IL is
needed. As soon RS the corn plants are
abQYe the ground, and the weeds have be-
gun to grow, the two-horse corn cultiys-
TORS are started. The horses are made to
walk on the top Of the ridges and the
Garth is thrown into the trench. When
the lister was first introduced, the farm
ers found that during the first cultivation
they destroyed "A large number of corn
plants by covering them with earth. This
threatened 10 be a fatal objection to the
use OF the lister, as no Western corn raiser
can afford 10 have his workmen fool
away their time during the rush of corn
cultivation IN paving the earth to I'M
cover buried corn plants.
Last spring John Crumrine, a West
Nirginian, stood with hands thrust in his
pockets watching the oXasperating, oath
provocative work Of cultivator in a
listed corn field. He stopped the
team and said 70 the heated, swearing
driver:
H6otell your boss to give YOU two
eight-inch tOards, three feet long, with
hammer and sJm9 nails, and bit Of
rope. You bring the things here and I'll
fix YOU so that you will never again have
10 dismount from your cultivator TO I'M
cover buried corn"
DUubtlully, hesitatingly, the driver elc-
waited the sh0yels OF his cultiyatOr and
drove home. BE hrUGght back the mate
rails Crumrine sent him for. The genius
fram the highlands OF West
Nirgr-'a nailed the pieces OF board
togetner, as trough without con-
tents with rostraincg end pieces. He
attached the rOre 10 ore ord OF IL. aud IN
vartec o IN the trench % ~ he tied the
rOpe ID the ny le OF the CultiVatOr and adj