The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-03-21
FARMS AND FARMERS.
short Talks With the Men Who
Guidp the PIOw.

w. l.. Jones IN atlanta Constitution.
The tern, water rurrow Is usually applied tc
the last furrow run between beds. IN conhec
tion with corn planting, we propose to give Il
q wider meaning, viz: planting III Il deep lur.
row, so that when TIE corn comes up Inc
young plants shall be below the general sur
face. II the land has been broken proadcsl
and rows laid Off with II broad shovel, and the
grain dropped in them and covered without
completely filling the shovel furrow-ll sucll
case we should say corn was planted IN wafer
turrow Is 1t good practice To DO thlS: On
high dry land we think 1t is; first, because II
renders cultivation very easy. y harrow can
be run over the field broadcast and throw
enough dirt in the still untitled furrow tocorel
and Kill the young grass which may have
come up with the corn. This may be done at
first and second workings, and the corn lett
entirely clean and upon level surface. or,
If one prefers, sweep or scrape run around
the edge of the furrow will do the same thing.
Rv this time the corn will be large enough 10
bear dirting sufficiently to II any grass ehat
may afterward come up. rms plan, thereloIe,
allows exclusive cultivation OF corn WIN the
plow, in itself {: very great deslueratum.
Second, because corn SENDS out successive
whorls OF roots, one above another, and when
out iatcrally In the soil, instead Of having to
push their way downward, or else have beds
thrown up for them to speed themselves In.
1t allows, moreover, greater NUMBER Oh tneSe
whorls of roots, to reach the soil successlvely
and take part in supporting the plant. THIS
is quite an important consideration. AS the
corn advances in growth the first formed roots
gradually cease to work, and the plant ae'
bends mainly upon the last formed. AS the
period of earring approaches the plant SENDS
out all these upper whorls Of roots 1t can.
Some times they spring from several joints
above the surface part Of which fall TO reach
the soil and are practically useless. Planting
in the water furrow prevents this failure IN
measure.
In the third place, 1t allows the application
of manure to the hill of corn. at the compara-
lively late stage of growth. without the ncceS-
sity of running deep siding burrows, which
might cut its roots-snch are some OF The ad'
vaftages; what are the disadvantages. The
greatest Is the settling ofwater In the open
filrrow, and If not run on a level. the washing
out of the corn by heavy rains. To counteract
the baking and crusting OF the soil over the
grain in the open furrow, the corn should al
Ways be covered with small list. But great
care should be taken to cover 1t very shallow.
This was discussed last week. We have just
seen the results Of series OF experiments.
made at the Ohio experiment station, IN wnlcn
the grain was covered one inch, two three ana
four inches. That covered one inch deep,
gave decidedly the best results-both as re-
CARDS the number of bushels and the percent
age Of merchan table corn. The yield of grain
per acre was twelve bushels greater, when
covered one inch deep, than at any other
depth. The average yields for four years, OF
grain covered one, two and three Inches were,
respectively: 6S.8, 5l.l, 1858. bushels per acre.
Such results, happening uniform. through
four successive years, can hardly be acclden-
dental. The matter certainly deserves atten-
tion.