Nevada County picayune., 1888-04-11
AGRICULTURAL.
PLANTING CORN.

It is to be presumed most farmers have made their allotmcnts of fields to be planted in corn this season, and are only awaiting the arrival of the time to plant. When is the time to plant: Some wait for certain buds to swell. certain trees to blossom. or for warm, dry spell af- ter certain day. It is claimed that the early planted makes the heavier corn. and the most certain crop The 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 plan is to plant when the ground is dry enough to blow well. and at the date which past experience shows to have gen. orally given best results. Temp era ture of the air or ground need not be considered. Corn that is planted on a day when the ground is frozen in the morning will be as apt to de we'll as if the day were as balmy as May. It is the character of the weather that prevails during the second and third week after planting the seed, which determines the stand and the vigor of the young plants. Corn re- quires from ten days to two weeks to come up when planted in the spring and it is a matter of little moment whether the ground is warm or no on the very day of planting, If the pe- riod of the year has arrived when we may reasonably expect suitable temperature for germination within the next four or five days, or week, and the ground is not too wet to blow, let the seed be planted. It is probable that the weather will be better in the next two weeks when it is bad at any given date, and the second week is the more important of the two.
 We do not believe in watcr-furrow planting early in the spring, howev- CT advisable later on. The planting often can not be done so early on ac- count of the soggy condition of the sub-soil, (water furrow,) and the heavy spring rains are more damag- ing to young crop in the water-fur- row, besides other reasons, We pre- fer breaking the land into flat beds with deep, open water furrow be- tween, planting in q deep furrow op- ened along the middle of the bed and covering shallow This gives better drainage, richer surrounding soil, and greater immunity from damage by the frequent heavy rains of spring.
 It is surprising that farmers so of ten 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 twenty-one square feet to each stalk is not too much. This will permit of a great CT concentration of manure to the hill, and consequent better develope- ment of individual stalks and ears.- Allowing one hundred stalks for each bushel of corn the land is eX- pected to yield, we have the follow ing calculations: Planted 4x4 feet, there would be 2,722 plants; yield 27 bushels. Planted l2X4 l-2, or 4x5 would give 2,l7S plants yield 21.78 bushels. Planted 4x6, 1872 plants; yield 1912 bushels. The celebrated David Dickson gave Ix- l-2 feet on uplands capable of pro- ducing p bushels. Not an acre should be planted in corn that will not of itself. or with the manure available, yield at least ten or twelve bushels of corn-twenty would be a better rule. The most glaring of all our mistakes is the continued annual cultivation of acres, the yield of which with the most favorable sea- sons will not pay expenses. Multi ply the number of such acres until half the whole area in cultivation is embraced, until half of State is in cluded, and is it any wonder that such farmers are in depressed con dition. .-Southern Cultivator.
 The note that is not due till two years will be harder on you than the note due in a year.