Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-13

DC TSdC DtiOlc tlS idIN lClo COilN ClltiOii
but was received too late for that pur-
pose, Or even to take its place IN the
discussion Of the corn question as pub
lished in Wednesday mornings DAILY
EAGLE The writer touches upon some
points covered in the discussion before
the convention, but these will bear
repeating and emphasizing. while he
offers suggestions not advanced at the
meeting which are well worth careful
consideration by every farmer IN the
land:
ANTHONY, Kan, Dec. 10.
To The Farmers Meeting in care Of the Eagle
1t had been my intention TO be one OF
your number; but ON account OF sickness
! am debarred the privilege. am firmly
of the opinion that the move IS IN the
right direction-farmerS meeting to-
gether to interchange thought or farm
ers' congress. 1t is time farmers should
use their heads as well as their hands,
and why not let our brother yeomen
know what we have dug up by the root
and acutual experience. We have passed
through three seasons which should put
us all to thinking, and those who have
been doing SO have arrived at this point:
that we cannot adapt the seasons OF this
country to all OF our old fogy notions.
We must look about us and consider the
soil, the climate and the season, and the
crop to be grown.
Farmers as a rule come to Kansas with
an idea that they know just how to farm
as they were taught in the schools OF
their fathers (who were a Success); but
as they proceed year after year and see
the meal growing lower Ill the barrel
and they are compelled to adopt hazard
Gus plans to pull through 10 the end OF
another crop IN order to see if the over
ruling power will change the seasons to
agree with their idea, they commence to
think that there surely must be some
thing wrong somewhere, but just where
to locate the trouble they do not know,
and habit once formed is hard to get
rid Of; so they just move on III the same
good old style of their fathers.
Is this country suited TO the success
full propagation of corn? We would say
that there have been many failures
through this section from some cause
and that while many have failed few
have succeeded the same year and per-
| hapS mora difficulties III the way
of the successful man that the one
who failed. Now the question arises,
what was the cause of his success ana
would all succeed provided they adopt
his plan? We must solve this veXed
question in some way. If we are going
! TO try to raise another corn crop let us
| commence right AS it is warm now
and suitable tor blowing let us pillow a
| few acres at least from a foot to ii
inches deep and see what the results Will
! be next season upon the crop.
/ One trouble with Kansas business
men is their wide guage, and 1t is not
entirely foreign to the farmer. We hear
of men who can plow. plant, cultivate
| and gather from sc to 100 acres of corn
! single handed. Some seasons they may,
/ for it will grow and mature if they but
/ get ii in the ground and go out and look
/ at it a time or two: but where is the man
! that can pillow go acres one foot deep and
/ harrow and plant and then harrow twice
and cultivate from three to tive times III
! the time it should be done: Of he is
/ here | should be pleased to have a lock
/ of his hair Is ii not a fact that farm
! ers undertake to till too many acres for
the force employed to DO thorough work
all the way through the season:
/ Wichita and surrounding country, you
! know we all love you as every true Kan
san has not lost any faith in his adopted
state, but there are few minor things
| that we don't Just understand, or which
we cannot explain intelligently to an
| outsider. just how Ito prepare the
ground and plant corn of the best varie-
! tv is sumner to most of us. We ven
| tJlre this assertion. that ground plowed
not less than one foot deep early in the
! fall and planted early to corn of good
sized ninety to one hundred day seed
/ corn, with proper cultivation will yield
! q bOuntiful harvest: not less than sixty
| fold and some hundred. Forty TO six
! tv acres producing a good and abundant
! harvest is worth more than twice the
amount of acres with but little or nc
| harvest.
I The season has much to do with corn
raising: in fact with ali crops, but it is
especially so with corn raising i'll this
/ section of Kansas, where we have a sea
son almost long enough TO raise two corn
crops in one season on the same land.
From March - to November - is sutfi-
cient time for two corn crops Of 50 to 100
| day varieties. Many seasons we can
plant from March 18th TO July 1st very
/ successfully, anywhere along the line,
! but there are some seasons when 1t won't
! do so well-we have just passed three OF
them-but very deep fall blowing will
divert much Of this disaster.
/ One more thought on the season: We
who have been here years know that We
may always look for abundance of hot
! sunshine IN July and August and must
plant corn at the time and variety so that
! il vii! bloom one side of this hot sun, as
il is the burning or scorching Of the pol
/ len that shortens the corn crop more
/ than dry weather.
Now as to plan and manner OF prepar
ing planting and cultivating corn. Fal
plow from twelve to fifteen inches deer
as soon as possible after small grain !.
removed. Cultivate and cross harrow
early in march. Plant ninety to one
hundred day variety. or rather drill, one
grain in a place. twenty inches apart
and near FIVE inches deep the last half OF
March and in rows about five feet eight
inches apart Don't wait for ground K
get foul but proceed to harrow soon and
keen at it until the corn is six inches
high. going over it about once a week
or not less than once in ten DAYS. Then
take the cultivator and keep on going
over it at above rate, making the frs
time over the deepest cultivating done
and as the corn grows change the foul
shovels off for eight small ones about a
large as your hand and continue witt
shallow cultivation just to destroy small
weeds and keep the ground loose on top
as ground plowed deep needs no NOR
deep cultivation that season but must bt
kept clean and loose on top regardless
Of dry weather; the dryer the oftene
II shni1l1 he cultivated shallnw