Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03
A Few Reflections on Corn Raising.
RT1r5I

Rural New Yorker
The corn crop of this country can be
doubled without increasing the amount
of fertilizers at present used, or the
acreage. This statement will doubtless
be questioned by large number of in
telligent farmers. There is no other
crop in the United States about the cuI-
t1vation of which there is such a differ
ence OF opinion, or the best way of cul
tivauiDg which is so little understood
Ihree-tourths of the farmers who grow
corn at all cultivate it either too 1aHch or
improperly. By cultivation I mean the
work given to the corn after it is up and
growing, and not the preparation of tbs
soil before planting. Corn requires but
comparatively little cultivation if the
SOIL has been properly prepared before
hand, and whatever work it receives
should be given when the crop is quite
young. Thoroughly breaking and pull
verifying the soil are the most important
considerations. The cultivation should
begin as soon as the corn is clearly up
with either harrow or cultivator, and
the work should be continued until the
crop is laid by. If the corn is planted
IN checks, one good blowing each way will
secure good crop, other conditions be-
ing favorable. 1t shoutd be laid by be-
fore 1t is knee high, and the last blowing
should be very shallow. turning pillow
should never go in cornfield after the
corn is planted. The modern one-horse
turning plow has destroyed millions of
bushels of corn, and the same may be
said of long shank double shovel. The
turning pillow leaves the field in ridges.
while level culture is tbs proper thing.
The double shovel will go too deep in
spite of the plowman, and mutilate
the Young lateral corn roots. Every
time these roots are bruised or broken
the corn is damaged. Root pruning is
an advantage to barren fruit tree, but it
should not be practiced in the cultivation
of corn crop.
10 grow corn successfully, make the
soil fertile If not already so; break deep;
pulverize thoroughly; run drag over it
and let 1t take rain or two. Re-break it
not 9 ute SO deep; harrow again, then run
drag over it to make it smooth. Lay it
off 81 to AZ feet each way. Plant good,
sound corn. Begin to cultivate early, and
quit early. Do not be too impatient to
plant. Better to wait until the ground
gets warm. If you plant too early the
corn will make slow start: the stalk will
get hard and the crop will never do so
well; besides, the grass or weeds may get
ahead of the corn. Put the turning pillow
and doubleshoVel under the tool shed as
soon as the corn is planted, and use the
cultivator and one-horse harrow with
short teeth.
In breaking the land good coat of
young grass and weeds will be turned un
der, and millions OF seeds just germina
ting will be destroyed, thus making the
labor of cultivation much less.
1t is fallacy to throw up big ridge
next to the corn to keep it from being
blown down. The roots hold up the corn.
Just as we'll pile soil around fruit tree
to keep it from being blown down. It is
fallacy to pillow corn deep when it is
silking, during drouth, to bring up the
moisture. The blowing is a serious in
jury. If the soil has been properly pre-
pared the moisture will be brought up by
capillary attraction. Il is a fallacy to I'M
dertake, by five or six plowings in a field
of growing corn, to DO the work that
ought to have been done before planting