The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-04-29
Aadersp1s gaiteltige11ter.
FARMERS COLUMN.
s@- Communications from our Farmers
on any matter pertaining to agriculture,
are respectfully solicited for this column.
The Cultivation of Corn.

aware that it is the practice with many
farmers to plow up the entire corn-bed
about the middle of May when the corn
is about two feet high. If the season
following be dry or if there are only
occasional showers, the roots of the corn
will grow mainly in the lower pulverized
soil, where there is constant moisture,
holding plant food in solution. The
after cultivation is usually done with
sweep, run shallow to clean the bed of
grass and to pulyerize the surface soil.
We will suppose wet spell of ten days
or more to follow this May plowing-
how will the corn be affected by it? 1t
will cause the corn to grow rapidly. The
corn roots will in short time take pos
session of the entire cornbed; upon ex.
animation they will be found near the
surface, because they cannot grow in the
too wet soil below. The stalks will grow
unusually large and tall, and the ground
will be covered with grass and weeds.
In this condition of the crop, the farmer
finds himself in dilemma. Ifhe should
conclude to let the corn and grass grow
together, he cannot expect much of a
yield, and if he should determine, as he
usually does, to clean the corn bed of
grass and weeds, what effect will this
working have upon the corn? 1t will
have the effect of bringing the growth of
the corn at once to a stand still. In
short time the lower blades will begin to
turn yellow, what is called firing, which
will soon reach up to the insignificant
shoot, the aborted ear. What has caused
this sudden change in the appearance of
the corn? The answer I would give is,
the plow has done it. IL matters not
what kind of plow may be used, nor
how shallow it may be run over the corn.
bed, i: will cut ani destroy nearly all of
those roots that grew near the surface
during the wet spell of weather. The
corn has been severely root pruned, and
before it can recover from this root
pruning the time for making The ear has
passed, and the result is complete fail.
ure of the crop.
In the last twenty FIVE years l have
seen this wet spell happen several times
about the first of June, and in every in
stance the corn crop was more or less in
jured-not SO much by the wet spell as,
in my opinion, by the faulty cultivation
before aud after the rains. Such wet
spell happened in this section last sum-
mer. commencing about the 25th Of May,
and lasted two weeks; the corn was
plowed as usual and revived. Afterward
1 heard several farmers attribute the
failure of the crop to the wet spell. But
is II a fact that wet spell happening
about the caring time of corn is calcula-
ted to injure the crop? Unless it is in
land too retentive of water, or not pro-
perly drained, cannot think so. l be-
lieve it is mainly due to a faulty cultiya.
ton. If such cultivation be attended
with so much hazard to the crop as l
have shown what better system can be
instituted to insure success, whether the
season be wet or dry? Ny object in this
communication is to call the attention of
farmers to plan which both observation
and experience have proved to be more
certain than the one usually practiced.
In Southern climate like ours it is
important to have the rows wide apart,
say S or 6 feet, and not to have the corn
too thick in the drill. / will con6ne
what I have to suggest mainly to the use
of the plow in cultivation, leaving de.
tails 10 the good judgment of the farmer.
As soon then as the corn is large enough,
go around it one time with four-inch
schooter, running it as deep and as near
the corn as possible. Fifteen or twenty
days after this plowing, go around a
second time, running one furrow with
4 or 5 inch turning shovel just outside
the schooter furrow, and throwing the
dirt or soil we'll around the corn stalks in
the drill. After this second furrow is
rur, the hoes should follow, cleaning the
narrow corn bed and bringing the corn
to stand, which should be thin enough
to stand and do we'll in moderately dry
season. Again, in fifteen or twenty days
third furrow should be added to the
corn.bed. So far one furrow at time
and at suitable intervals has been given
to the corn.bed; our object in this is to
give fresh supply of pulverized soil to
the roots, but no moro than is deemed
necessary to grow moderately sized
stalk, reserving the middle to be given
when the time comes to grow an ear. If
in the meantime the middle should be-
come foul, it should be cleaned with
sweep or other suitable plow.
At this stage of our cultivation, sup.
pose wet spell should occur, how will
the corn be affected by it? The roots
will grow near the surface for the reasons
given above, but will be confined to the
narrow corn,bed made by the six furrows
already given, and the open third furrow
will prevent them from reaching the un.
broken middle. AS soon after the rains
as the ground is in condition to be
plowed, the cultivation can be resumed.
The corn. bed is to be let alone whether
it is grassy or not. The grass and weeds
cannot be destroyed by the plow without
also greatly injuring the corn roots, the
very thing to be avoided. But the mid
die can now be plowcd out entire with a
turning plow, throwing the dirt as far
over the corn-bed as possible to cover up
all grass and weeds that have come up
during the wet spell; those the plow
cannot cover up had better be let alone,
except so much of them as can be de-