The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-04-27

The Journal If Agriculture pub
fishes the following extract FROM .
paper read by Mrs Helen N. Laugh.
lin before the Northern series Of
farmers Institutes held in Missoari.
There is such a variety Of iniln.
: ences that have a bear ing in produc-
Ing crop of corn that when ne
have 1t safely harvested il Is difficult
for most corn growers to tell With
any degrec of certainty just which
cause or causes produced certain ne
suits or conditions of growth. Corn
Is grown everyw here, aud soil a. well
AS climcatie influences are 50 varied
that treatment that answers the pur-
pose IN one section NAV IA another
produce quite different results. Sen
slble men learn 10 vary somesh hat
their practice 50 as to accord with
condition of soil. climate. etc; and
instead of forming hasty aud per-
haps incorrect opinion regarding any
one method they will carefully test
each one side by side; not for one or
two seasons, but for term of wears
sufficient to establish beyond doubt
the practicability of any particular
theory. From this they are able to
choose the one producing maximum
corn with the least outlay of labor
on the fewest acres,
In all the years that farmers have
spent in cultivating corn by the old
method of cutting of roots in order
to make new ones grow, no one has
yet succeeded in changing the habit
of rootgrow.h of the corn plant; and
the primary or first rootlets almost
always start with slight upward
slant. Cutting off these ROOFS not
only gives the plant I shock which
checks its growth, but it limits the
area of plant food. lfnot cut off the
roots would extend SO as to take up
the supply between the rows.
The structure and habits of the
corn roots themselves. offer TO the
obseryant farmer the key to the cor
rect method OF cultivation. From ii
careful study of the part of the corn
plant that grows under ground the
conclusion will be readily reached
that keeping the surface mellow, fine,
and level to the depth of two inches,
never allowing the formation of
crust, but forming "A sort of dry soil
mulch, would be the right method to
produce best results. In short, shall
low and level culture for corn or
other surface-rooted crop is always
best; and when we see in a neighbor-
hood one progressive farmer who
practices this method years after wear
with certain success, does it not seem
strange that all of his neighbors are
content to jog along in the same old
rut, working the life out of them
selves and their teams, and receiving
for their labor starvation crops?
| quote the following from that
veteran IN corn culture, ID. j. Bissell: |
"Practice and philosophy teach |
that to get the best yield in crop
of corn we must supply it with all |
the elements needed for its most per-
feet growth, not only in size of stalk,
but in form for producing the best
form of ear, and also the perfect
filling out and perfectly maturing |
the grain. 10 insure this we must |
not only have the required elements
in the soil, but we must make them
available to the plant. We may
have every ingredient IN abundance |
in the soil, yet if we SO manipulate it |
as to render it unavailing or inacces-
sible to the plant we shall fail of
getting a full crop. Then the ques-
ton naturally arises, what treat
ment should be given it?' We may
by the use of highly stimulating fer
tilizers get vigorous start that will
give promise of a heavy crop, and if |
it be properly treated will fulfill that
promise. But by neglect it may,
nay must inevitably disappoint us.
The necessary requirements of food
and moisture must be supplied dur
ing its entire growth or 1t would
have been better not TO have stimu-
lated it's growth at first Place box
ten inches square around the stalk
and ten inches deep in the soil and
give moisture and plant food, and
the plant will grow at first quite well.
But when it gets considerable size it
begins to dwindle and finally ceases
to grow, and fails to produce an ear,
or perhaps produces nubbin which
ripens or rather dies and dries up
permaturely with the cob half filled.
But we can just as reasonably expect
full crop with that kind Of culture
as to expect it by the method COM
monty practiced. The use of the
two horse cultivator with its long
shovels as efectually deprives the
plant of power of drawing the neces-
sary nutritious elements from the soil
as the box does. 1t is even worse,
for it not only cuts off the roots, tut
throws the dirt up in a manner to
be dried out in few hours. Then
at the next blowing that dry dirt is
thrown to the bottom and what moist
dirt can be got is thrown to the top
to be in turn dried out. The dry
dirt at the bottom accelerating the
drying process"