The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-07-22
RATIONAL CORN CULTURE.

RATIONAL CORN CULTURE.
The necessity for frequent stirring of
the soil in cornfeld is paramount for
itself alone. If no weed ever appeared
there would still be need for frequent
cultivation. A few years ago l left ten
rows through cornfiold unworked,
while the rest Of the field was cultivated
every week until the tassels appeared.
The weeds in those ten rows were pulled
by hand, and there were very few, for
the groun was II sod deeply plowed, and
narrowed thoroughly up to the time the
corn was planted. The stalks in the ten
rows were more than three feet shorter
than those in the rest of the field, and
there was scarcely a single ear that was
filed out to the end. The rest of the
field, which was few square yards over
two acres, yielded one hundred and nine.
iy-eight bushels Of shelled corn, esti-
mating two bushels of cars for one of
grain. The corn was husked by the
bushel and measured twice, so that no
mistake was made in the measure. The
ten lows made up exactly one.tifth of an
acre (thirty-two rods), and gave only
eleven and half bushels of corn. Every
thing else being equal, the difference,
being over forty bushels to the acre. was
clearly due TO the absence of cultivation,
The ground being baked and dry the
greater part of the time. Since then
left one strip on the side of field,
measuring exactly an acre, without either
cultivation or wedding, and it yielded
fourteen bushels of poor corn, the rest
of the field yielding forty-two bushels of
grain to the acre. In 1889 | had an
oight-acre field that yielded enough to
completely fill five. e.hundred- -bushel
crib, equal to over thirty bushels of
shelled corn per acre, on very poor old
field that was newly broken up, and
without manure, but was cultivated eight
times, while my half of a rented four
acre field, worked only twice, amounted
TO one wagon load of cars, equal to
twenty bushels of grain, and this small
field was much better soil than the old
field.
My practice for many years has been
to work the corn once a week, beginning
on Monday when the weather was suita-
BILE, and continue the working as long as
horse can get through the rows without
breaking the stalks-and this is usually
until the ears begin 10 hang out in the
rows-aud the cultivation has always
been on the surface. Some years ago a
heavy rain washed slope on one of my
fields very badly, and exposed tine net
work of roots for several square rods,
which completely filed the soil. Several
of the plants were washed loose, and
coul1 he taken up with the roots. The
roots of many plants were eight feet long,
spreading over nearly three rows each
way, and they lay very near the surface.
In places roots were abundant at depth
of two inches, and very few were as deep
down as the land had been plowed.
More recent examinations, made pur.
posely, have convinced me that this is
the habit of the corn plant to send out
its roots near the surface. 1t may be
that surface manurlng with fertilizers
tends to such habit of root growth, but
soluble fertilizers quickly diiTuse them
selves through the soil, and it may bC
that the desire for the suns heat, which
corn so much needs, brings these roots tc
the surface.
1t is clear that a plant having such {
superficial root growth should not be
piowed, but requires only surface cult.
walton; for the breaking of the root:
must necessarily check the growth of the
plants. ] had once a plain demonstra
tion of this fact. A field of Evergreen
sweet corn was partly plowed, contrary
TO my instructions, by a willful hireC
man, who laughed at my shallow cutiva
tion of the rest of the field. He ploweC
it deeply and ridged up the rows until
discovered and stopped him. Th,
weather was hot. The corn wilted a
once and never grew afterward. No
one ear was gathered from the plowe,
rows, while the rest of the field average,
over eleven thousand ears per acre
counted for the market. To break IN
feeding roots Of plant is clearly to sto
ITS feeding, and to turn all the power G
growth to repair the damage aud max
new roots; at a time, too, when all tn
strength of the plants is required to forr
the blossom or the grain. Somethin
has been said of the usefulness of root
pruning corn. 1t is equivalent to draw
ing cows teeth when she is busy turnin
good grass into milk and butter, an
equally prevents the gathering of muir
ment. 1t spRctlced for this special pur
pose in fruit culture, for checking I'll
growth of trees to reduce the amount {
new wood, and 1t has the same clfcC
upon the corn which we want TO haste
20 maturity as soon as possible, and t
aid in every way in enabling it to gathe
food and increase its product.
For this reason the cultivation Of cor
should be carly and often, and US late