Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-03-21
CULTURE OF CORN.
A Discussion of Its Needs and Wants Both
of Soil and Cultivation.

A Discussion of Its Needs and Wants Both
of Soil and Cultivation.
For ten years | have been satisfied
that corn was the one great crop for
farmers, and that upon the successful
growing of it depends in a great meas
ure the successful conducting of farm
operations.
During this time | have carefully
| studied corn, its needs and wants both
of soil and cultivation, and each sue
ceeding year, although teaching some
thing OF value, brings fOrcibly to mind
the fact how little we really know and
how much we have to learn. There is
one thing that have observed, how
ever, which speaks for itself, and that
is. that whenever you find a piece of
land in the proper state of fertility and
| cropped to corn, and upon which a
good crop is not produced, it will in
ninety-nine cases out of one hundred
be the fault of the cultivator, either
from poor seed, slack and improper
cultivation, or careless preparation of
the land.
On the other hand, there are thou
sands of acres annually plowed and
planted to corn, upon which it would
be impossible to raise paying crop.
with the very best of seed, preparation
and cultivation. The remedies for these
two evils suggest themselves.
Ny practice last season which re-
suited in large yield of exceptionally
fine ears, was as follows: The land
was at first deeply plowed and thor
oughly narrowed. burrows were then
opened out every three feet nine inches,
and to an average depth of four inches.
The pillow while opening out these fur
rows was followed by corn drill drop
ping the kernels about fourteen inches
apart. In about three days after plant
ing, a flexible harrow with straight
tooth was applied lengthwise of the
rows: again in two or three days cross
wise of the rows with straight tooth;
in two or three days more again cross
wise of the rows, but this time with
slanting tooth. 1t was then cultivated
twice with two-horse cultivator with
shovel attachments, and once with the
same cultivator with pillow attachments,
and finally the fields were invaded with
hoes and every weed that managed to
live through cultivation was clipped
out with the old reliable hoe.
This last operation L regarded as OF
the greatest Importance, as 1t not only
greatly increases the yield of corn. but
it every year reduces the amount OF
weeds to be battled with the succeed
ing year; besides it renders the opera
ton of husking a clean and pleasant
one.
The advantage of planting in drills
is, that by having single stalks you
get fewer nubbins, more stalks with
two ears each, and larger and more
uniform ears. l would say to all
farmers who have never tried drill
planting, try it by all means and by the
method given above. By using pillow
before the corn drill, you have a de-
preston left where your corn Is
planted, which the successive harrow
ings fill up with fine soil to the exclus-
ion of weeds, so that when you come
to cultivate you find your corn rows
clean, and the weeds between the rows
where the cultivator will remove them
By all means get the best seed to be
had, but remember that the best ears
from a poor or even medium crop do
not represent the best seed, no more
than the best specimens from scrub
herd represent blooded stock 1t
might do to start with, but it would
take years to breed it up to standard
of high quality.-Cor. Farm, Field and
Stockman.