The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-10

1t will be seen from this table that there
has been no steady annual increase i'm either
the acreage or the quality or value of the
corn production in the United States in
these thirteen years. There were eight
million acres more corn raised in 1889 than
IN 49, mere were three million bushels
more corn produced in 1850 than in 1890. We
appear to have reached our limit in acreage.
ana nave made no perCeptible increase in
the number of bushels produced to the
acre. The average acreage for ten years,
from 1880 to 1890, in corn in the United
States was seventy million acres, ami the
average yield per acre was only twenty
four bushels; the average annual produc-
ton, 1,IOO.O0O,0O bushels, and it's annual
value nearly 500. 600, 600. The average gross
yield in cash per acre in the thirteen years
has been less than $40. The actual cost of
the Planting, cultivating and gathering an
acre OF corn under most favorable condi-
tons and methods is 81. This leaves the
farmer net So per acre for his corn land.
My effort i'm corn raising has been d-
rected toward a reduction of the cost OF
production, and an increase in the number
or bushels per acre. Under the old methods
OF breaking the ground for corn, one man
and two horses would break two acres per
day; by my new method, one man. with
three Norman mares and with either a
Deehe ''three-gang plow' or an Armstrong
three-disc plow," viii break six acres. This
cannot be done in heavy clay land nor in
marsh lands il may be done. BY the cd
method 1t costs 81 per acre to break corn
land. while by the new method it costs only
40 cents per acre.
EARLY PLANTING URGED.
The sooner corn is planted after the
ground is plowed the better the result. The
earlier corn is planted in the spring, SO it
does not get frost, the better the result.
The drilled corn will produce better ears
and more corn to the acre than when plant
ed In hills. The farmers who do not favor
drilling claim that by blowing both ways
they can keep the weeds better under con-
troll This objection only applies to land
that has not been properly prepared for cul-
tiVation in corn. Next To the proper prepa-
ration OF corn land in Importance is the
seed corn. II only requires one bushel of
seed corn for eight acres or land, and the
cost of hrSt-claSS seed of the best variety
is only 10 to % celtS Ter acre, and il always
pays TO procure the best seed that can be
had. The seed, as a rule, should not be
taken from the South 10 the North, but to
insure early ripening the seed should be
taken from the same or a northern lati-
tude. The seed gathered early by selecting
the finest ears and kiln or garnet drying is
always the surest and the best. If the land
Is very rich 1t Will produce the most salts
factory results by drilling one grain every
twelve inches. II the land is thin it will be
safer 10 drop 1t eighteen inches between
grains, and in all cases three and a half
feet apart. The best cultivatOr for rich,
mellow land is the two-hOrse, small shovel
or bull tongue, and 10 do good work at the
end there should be no tongue between the
| horses. The more cultivation given the bet
ter the results, and even If you have no
weeds 10 destroy the corn should be Guilt
waited four times. and the last time with
shovels large enough 10 throw the dirt we'll
mp around the roots. If corn stands up
/ well and evenly in the row il may be seeded
IN wheat in the fall without injury, and by
50 seeding and sowing clover on the wheat
In February and plowing the clover and
sJubbles under the next year, your land VIII
be kept up and tended every other year in
corn without losing any of its richness.
The cost of the clover seed is the only ex-
pense, ana Il Is the very best ferulizer that
corn ra!sers can use. Men may claim that
their land Is rich enough TO produce corn
from year TO year without this rotation OF
crops. This Is a serious mistake, anG no
good farmer will Overwork his land any
sooner than he would Overwork his teams.
From the foregoing table II viii be seen
that the average production of corn to the
acre in the United states is less than
twenty-five bushels, and II the average of
any farm cam, 10y the adoption OF proper
methods OF cultivation, be brought up 10
ffty bushels per acre, the farmer is doub-
ling the average. and IL he can bring the
production up TO seventy-fve bushels per