River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-04-19
HOW TO PLANT CORN.
Timely Suggestions for Hitherto Unsu
cessful Corn Growers.

Timely Suggestions for Hitherto Unsuc-
cessful COrn-Growers.
But we presume most farmers have
made their allotm ents of fields 10 be
planted in corn, aud are only await
ing the arrival of the time 10 plant
When is the time to plant? Some wait
for certain buds 10 swell, certain
trees To blossom, or for warm. dry
spell after certain day. IL is
claimed that the early-plantod makes
the heavier corn and the most certain
crop. Tie early-planted fields will
come into silk and tassel earlier than
the late-planted, but not much earlier,
especially if the early-planted en-
counters bad weather. On the whole,
we think the best rule is to plant when
the ground is dry enough to plow well.
and at the date which past experience
shows to have generally given best re-
suits. Temperature of the air or ground
need not be considered. CIrn that is
planted on n day when the gro und is
frozen in the morning will be rs apt
TO do well as if the day were rs balmy
as May. 1t is the character of the
weather that prevails during the sec.
ond and third week after planting the
seed, which determines the stand and
the vigor of the young plants. Corn
requires from ten days to two weeks
TO come up when planted in the
spring; and il is matter of little
moment whether the ground is warm
or not on the very day of planting.
II the period of the year has arrived
when we may reasonably expect a
suitable temperature for termination
within the next four or five days. or
week, and the ground is not too wet
to pillow. let the seed be planted 1t is
probable that the weather will be
better in the next two weeks when ii
is bad at any given date, and the Sec
ond week is the more important of the
two.
How to plant. We do not believe
in water-furrow planting early in the
spring, however later on. The plant
ing often can not be done so early on
account of the soggy condition Of the
suhsoii (water.furrow). aud the heavy
spring rains are more damaging to e
young crop in the water-furrow, be-
sides other reasons. We prefer
breaking the land into Hat beds with
a deep. open water-furrow between.
planting in a deep furrow opened
along the nliddle of the bed and cover
ing shallow. This gives better drain
age, richer surrounding soil, and
greater immunity from damage by the
frequent heavy rains of spring.
1t is surprising that farmers so often
overcrowd the land with plants In the
face of experience On land that will
make ten TO twenty bushels per acre
with average seasons. an allowance
Of eighteen to tv'enty-oue square
feet to each stalk is not too
much. This will permit Of greater
concentration of manure to the
hill, and consequent better develop
mcnt of individual stalks and ears.
Allowing 100 stalks for each bushel of
corn the land is expected TO yield. We
have the following calculations:
Planted AKA feet, there would be ?, z22
plants per acre; yield, ~ bushels.
Planted 41x4l. or 4x5. would give 2. IFS
plants; yield. p. rs bushels. Planted
4x6, lisp plants; yield. Is y bushels.
The celebrated David Dickson gave
7x3t feet on up-lands capable of pro-
ducing % bushels Not an acre
should be planted in corn that will not
Of itself, or with the manure available.
yield at least 10 or II bushels of corn
20 would be better rule. The most
glaring of all our mistakes is the con-
tinued annual cultivation Of acres, the
yield of which with the most favora-
bic seasons will not pay expenses.
Multiply the nEmber Of such acres uu-
til half the whole area in cultivation IS
embraced. until half State Is in
Guided; and is II any wonder that such
farmers are IN a dcl r2sscd condiiionf
--Stiaata esgirafoE