The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1894-05-10
FOR THE FARMER,
ONE FARMERS METHOD OF CORN
CULTURE. .-t
Soil, Flowing, Planting, Cultivation,
Selection and Care of Seed-Sense
In CrOssing-A Practical Farm
Fence-Rules for the Dairy.

Selection and Care of Seed-Sense
in CrossinE-A Practical Farm
Fence-Rules for the Dairy.
Our soil is a good, sandy loan. level
with firm subsoil Of grslvelly clay be-
ginning perhaps a foot beneath the sur
face. The corn is planted on clover
sod which has been top dressed with
manure direct from the stalls and
spread as drawn. The blowing is done
the first Of May With an Oliver plow
| and jointer, turning about five inches
without Il break. It is then thoroughly
pulverized to 4 depth of three Or four
inches by narrowing with heavy steel
tooth drag. Most such tools are too
light Mine is made of 2HX2hinch
TIMBER, live. bars in section, ten bars
in drag, containing sixty B-inch teeth.
Ihe ground is checkrowed four feet
each way, care being necessary not to
make the marks deep. The planting is
done about the middle of May with Il
two-handle hand machine, my prefer
ence for this machine over the plunger
pattern being due to the fact that it
cuts it's way through sod or other OBJ
structions and drops the seed where it
will not dry nor get dragged out. Nor
does it crack the kernels against Jumps
or stones. The dropper is set for three
grains and the stand is made as near
that as care can get it.
The depth Of planting varies from
two to three inches. If the ground is
too wet to cover well, the foot is used
to MI the hole after the planter as
birds will rarely trouble field where
all the seed is covered. Just before
the corn appears above the surface, the
ground is dragged. Thereafter it is
cultivated with a spring tooth sulky
| cultivator until too high for that and
continued with a Planet Junior until
| the corn tassels out, when, if the sea-
son is favorable, it is "laid Bly," If,
however, a drouth prevails the cultiva-
| ton is continued once week or oftener
| until it rains, if it takes all summer"
The first or second time of cultivating.
| according to the size Of the corn, a pair
! OF shovels about the size of a mans
| hand are put on the inside teeth in
| place OF the ordinary tips, to cover any
| weeds that may be in the hill. A man
| follows the team With hoe and tlins
to three stalks. Our planting is usually
| SO even and blowing so well done that
| one man can hoe as fast as a team can
| cultivate. When the latest ears are
We'll glazed the cutting is done. From
| 80 to 100 hills are put in a shock
| which, although large enough to pre-
| vent rains driving through them to in
| jure the fodder will cure well. Bind
| with two bands Of marsh grass or bind
! ing Irvine: The second band prevents
the shock from twisting down.
| The ears are thrown directly into
! crates or boxes-never on the ground.
The crates are IA inches wide, a inches
long by 10 inches deep. Heads are Of
| common 1O-inch boards, sides of h-inch
| strips Siding or old packing box ma
teriaD, bottoms of nearly straight
slaves saved from sugar or cracker
barrels. Use six OF seven penny" wire
| nails. The boxes are drawn on a fat
| rack and "emptied directly into the
! cribs. Last year we planted on May
rs and began cutting Sept. 1, thus
reaching maturity in 81 days. This
short season was due to the continued
dry weather, which also shortened the
yield. The longest season of growth
was in 1SSS-112 days-caused by such
! cool weather from Aug Is to Aug. %
that growth was retarded. The yield.
| however, was better than last year.
AS will be seen. the average time of
maturity is 1912 days, the average
! yield SO bushels for these two years, a
little below the true average The seed
| is saved while cutting to secure the
earliest ripened ears. This grain in
time Of maturing is accompanied by a
loss in quality and SIZE The best
QargesD ears are saved at husl1ing.
| From this double source our seed for
planting is carefully selected. In this
| the corn continually grows better and
| earlier. The big butts have been elm
mated, the length Of the ears become
regular, the time of ripening so even
that whole field is ready at the same
time with no soft corn at husking time
The ears are tied by the hrlsks in
strings Of dozen ears each. and kiln
dried in an attic heated by the kitchen
| fire and properly ventilated. the latter
being quite as necessary as the former