Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1889-03-30
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.


liberal area to oats for summer feeding
Of work-stock, next in order is the corr
crop, which has been, and win con-
hnue TO be for years to come, the chief
reliance for stock, and the more COM
mon, everyday staff of life. Farmers
all know how to plant, cultivate and
harvest corn; they know It's great
value for all the purposes for which It
Is used; they are slow to change the
habits OF thought and reliance Of gen.
eraLions past.
Eehave before intimated our psefer-
ence for the system Of planting. on
beds more or less raised above the
original surface, those crops that are
planted early in the spring. Some
years OF experience served TO confirm
US in the conviction that corn-early
corn especially-will do better on beds
than on a dead-plain surface. The es-
sential advantage in planting on a bed
consists in the fact that the water
turrow" acts as a surface drain to re-
move the surplus water. That is
particularly observable on level or
comparatively level land, and espe-
cially If the spring be very wet
2 which is the rule and not the excep-
ton In the older portions Of the South.
The opening furrow, however, should
be deep and the seed corn should be
covered shallow-not more than one to
one and a half inches. VIZ are conf
dent that a competitive trial of the two
methods, making all the other condi-
tions practically the same. and con-
Quoted for several consecutive years,
would result in favor of planting on
beds instead of on the level surface.
We have tried planting in the water
turrow-between the beds-to our dis
satisfaction. If we could certainly fore
BEE a very dry, warn spring, followed
by a dry May, June and July, it would,
doubtless, be a wise expedient to plant
In the water-furrow. But our springs
are usually wet, and frequently cold
and late. The corn plant, according to
the variety planted, completes its
growth and natures its fruit within a
given period. 1t has its time for tas-
selling and its time for shooting and
caring. The conditions of soil, fer
tilization, seasons and culture do
not materially alter these periods.
When it has reached n OF
these critical points, particularly
the shooting, and silking and the ear
ing stage, it will not stand still-so to
Bpeak-and wait for a rain. This is
more or less true OF all annual plants
that are cultivated for their seeds, and
which do not produce flower and fruit
excessively and continuously through
out q considerable period. 1t is there
fore important that the seed should be
planted under the most favorable con-
ditions, and that the treatment in every
detail should be such as will tend to
the most rapid an perfect develop
ment Of the plant 1t should, as far as
we a control it, come up quickly and
commence at once, and continue with
out hindrance, its growth and success
i've development Of the blade, the stalk
and the full corn in the ear" Cot
ton will bear a degree of neglect; it
will recover entirely from the bad
treatment and u%nfavorable circum-
stances attending its earlier period of
growth-if the bad treatment be re-
formed and unfavorable conditions be
removed. But we doubt if a field of
corn ever entirely RECEIVERS from the
effects of unfavorable and retarding
circumstances.
The time of planting is Important,
but experience, after all, is the only
safe guide, and experience has told
every man, according to particular To-
cality OF his farm, or particular char
acter of soil, or other unchanging cir
cumstance, what is the best time to
plant. The temperature of the air on
any particular day, or the mean tenn
perature of the week that has just
past, the fight OF birds, and the BIOS
soming of plants, + not ven helpful
igns, except as indicating to Il
stranger in a strange land that spring
is at hand The rule we evolved
from years of practical experience is
this: Plant when the month and (if
you please), the day OF the month,
has arrived, which previous ex-
perience tells us involves the
least trouble in getting a fair
stand, the least expense in after
culture and the best results in yield;
and when the ground is in good plow-
ing condition. We have repeatedly
planted corr when the ground was
crusted by ice in the early morning,
and yet a prompt termination and good
stand resulted inside of two weeks. In
such cases the time had come" to
plant corn; we were ready to plant;
the ground was in blowing condition,
and the cold snap wa unreasonable and
temporary. It requires from ten days
to two weeks for corn to come up,
when planted in the spring. What is
wanted is good, sunny, warm weather
during the sprouting and coming up.
II we plant now, when the air is warm
and balmY, we have no guarantee that
the weather win not be rainy, or the
temperature down to freezing a week
or ten days hence.
II but a small quantity Of fertilizers
Is to be applied to corn we r. conf
dent that 1t should be concentrated
about the seed instead of scattered
along between the hills. We want the
young plant to be able to draw On the