The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-03-06
THE FULL CORN IN THE EAR
THE FARMER SHOULD MAKE HIS LIVING
NOT MAKE MONEY TO BUY LIVING.

NOT MAKE MONEY TO BUY A LIVING.
Some PracticnI Hints as TO How We
May Make Corn and CottOn--.We
Should Have Hogs, Too.
| We hope our suggestions in Thoughts for
| December. in regard to what should cOnsti-
| tute the aims and objects of the filrfner, with
| the exhortation In Thoughts for February,
have received careful consideration. We will
not occupy space TO repeat what we then
wrote further than to say that the central
Idea expressed was that ii should be the FIST
and chief object OF Il farmer To make 4 living
not to make money with which TO bug lir-
| ing.
after sowing, during the past fall and down
| to the close of February, liberia area to oats
| for summer feeding OF work stock, next in Or
der Is the corn crop, which has been, and Will
continne to be for years 10 come, the chief re-
| lance for stock, and the more common, every
day staff of life. Farmers oil know how to
plant, cultivate and harvest corn they know
| its great value for all the purposes for which
it is used; they are slow to change the habits
| OF thought and reliance Of generations past.
| We have before intimated our preference for
the system of planting, on beds more or less
raised above the original surface, those crops
| that arc planted early in the spring. Some
years of experience served TO confirm us in
| the conviction that corn-early corn eSpee.
ially-will do better OH beds than on dead
plain surface. The essential advantage In
planting on q bed consists In the fact that the
"water-furrow' acts as surface drain to re-
| move the surplus water. This Is partcu larly
| observable on level or comparatively level
| land and especially II the spring be very wet
Which VIII is the rule and not the exception in
the older portions OF the South. The opening
| furrow, however, should he deep and the
seed corn should be covered dshaalloW-not more
| than one To one and half inches. We are con-
fident that q competitive trial OF the two
methods, making all the other conditions
practically the same and conducted for seT-
eral consecutive years. would result In favor
| of planting on beds instead Of on the level
surface. We have tried planting in the water.
| furrow-between the beds-to our dlssatlsfac-
tion. If we could certainly foresee very
June and July, 1t would doubtless be n 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 lis growth and
natures It's fruit within O given period. 1t
has It's time for tasselling and its time for
shooting and caring. The conditions of soil,
fertilization, seasons and culture do not ma
| terially alter these periods. When 1t has
reached one OF these critical points, partic-
ularly the shooting, and silking and caring
stage, it will not stand still-so to speak-and
wait for 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 successively and continuously through
|
portant that the seed should be planted under
| the most favorable conditions, and that the
treat ment In every detail should be such as
will tend to the most rapid and perfect devel-
opment of the plant. 1t should, as far as we
can control it, come up quickly aud com.
mence at once and continue without him
drance, its growth and successive develop
ment of the blade, the stalk and the full corn
in the ear" Cotton will bear degree of neg
| lect; 1t will recover entirely from the bad
| treatment and unfavorable circumstances at
| tending its earliest period Of growth-if the
bad treatment he reformed and unfavorable
conditions be removed. But we doubt II a
| field of corn ever entirely RECEIVERS from the
effects of unfavornble and retardlng circum-
stances.
The time OF planting is important. but eX-
perence, after all, is the only safe guide, and
| experience has told every man, according to
particular locality of his farm, or particular
character Of SOIL or other unchanging circnm-
stance, what is the best time to plant. The
| temperature of the air on any particular day,
or the mean temperature OF the week that
has just past, the flight OF birds, and the bios
except as indicating to stranger in strange
| land that spring is at hand. The rule we
envolved from years OF practical experience is
this: Plant when the month and Qf you
please) the day Of the month, has arrived,
which previous experience tells US involves
the least trouble in getting fair stand, the
| least expense in after culture and the best re-
suits In yield and when the ground Is In
planted corn when the ground was crusted by
| Ice In the early morning, and yet o prompt
ermination 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 plowing conditi on, and
The cold snap was unreasonable and tempo.
| rary. 1t 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.
| If we plant now, when the air Is warm and
balmy, we have no guarantee that me weath,
er will not be rainy, or the temperature down
| 10 freezing week or ten days hence.
If but Il small quantity OF fertilizers Is to be
| applied to corn we are confident that 1t should
| DO concentrated about the seed instead OF
scattered along between the hills. We want
the young plant TO be able to draw on the fer
tilizer just as soon MS u has put out It's tiny
feeders..even while stu drawing from the
pecially II it be cotton seed. should not be
thrown down in "dab," nj In one spot, but
scattered around and near The seed corn. In
| the case Of cotton seed meal, or fertilizer
which consists largely Of that ingredient. IL Is
best not to apply it in direct contact With the
seed, as there seems to be something IN the
meal or some product evolved In lis decompo
sition, that Is fatal to n tender germ. The
practice of making successive applications OF
fertilizer during the first half of the life time
Of the plant, seems to be growing In favor
The theory upon which 1t is based Is undoubt-
edly correct, especially when the fertilizer is
very soluble and promptly availabie. All
coarse, only partly drcomposed matters
shou d be applied before or Mt the time OF
planting. We have applied concentrated fer.
tilizer peruvian guanol TO corn with good
effect even after tasselling, and just as the
shoots were beginning 10 appear. But the
rains were abundan tnnd the soluble ioou was
| work OF roots beneath the surface. If 1t had
turned OF dry it Is probable the application
would have proven totally useless If not ahSo
lutely hurtful. But OF this hereafter we
would impress on every farmer the folly oil
planting single acre Of land in corn-or any
other crop-that will not, under average con.
ditions, pay the expenses OF preparptio1 ana
cultivation. The estimate should include not
the expenses alone, hut should also take into
consideration, on the one hand, the farther
deterioration or exhaustion OF the lana, on
| the other hand the probable rccuperatlon
that would attenda year Of rest. Every far
mcr. may calculate for himself, but 1t may be
safely assumed that an acre of land that VIII
not produce atleast ten bushels OF corn with
average seasons, ought not to be planted In
corn.
The main crop OF corn having been planted,
attention will be given, or Will recur 10 tne
work of preparing for cotton planting: The
| great mistake that has so long fastened Itself
| on the Southern farmer, Is the Idea that the
making of cotton is the: .reat object OF farm
ing, and that he should make as many bales
as possible. The true, policy is to maFe an
abundance OF something to eat, and then
make as much cotton US possible at smallest
cost Of I,odneti9n 1t Is useless TO MAKE axe coi,0d
| and then sell it at the same price. AS q rule
the larger the area planted the greater will be
! the cost of production because few farmers
will extend over large area the necessary;
care in preparing the land, selecting the seed
and cultvating the crop, and the necessary
| fertilizers to insure q maximum, or even
our remarks on corn planting, the folly OF
planting poor land. unfertilized, will apply to
cotton. The purpose should be fixed In The
mind Of every farmer that he will not plant
ttnf 10 Nf nf nrn1npinU