The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1894-05-18
FOR THE FARMER.
ONE rARMna,s METHOD or conf
CULTURE.
sen, Fiswiag, Planting, Cultivation,
Selection aaA Care 81 Seea-sense
IN Cfoss1ag-A Practical Farm
Fsnss-0ules fer the Dairy. '5

Our soil Is good, sandy loan. level
with a firm subsoil of eravelly clay be-
ginning perhaps foot beneath the sur
face. The corn il 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 jointcr, turning about i've inches
without q break. 1t is then thoroughly
pulverlzed to depth Of three or four
inches by narrowing with a heavy steel
tooth drug Most such tools IRE too
light. Mine Is made Of 2Mx21s-inch
timber, five bars In section, ten bars
In a drag, containing sixty M-inch teeth.
Tho ground Is chcckrowed four feet
each way, care being necessary not to
make the marks deep. The Planting Is
done about the middle Of May with q
twO-handle hand machine, my prefer
ence for this machine over the plungcr
pattern being due to the fact that 1t
cuts Its way through sod or other OBJ
structiOns and drops the seed where 1t
will not dry nor get dragged out. Nor
does 1t crack the kernels against Jumps
or stones. The dr0pper Is set for three
grains and the stand Is made as near
that us care can get 1t.
The depth of planting varies from
two to three inches. II the ground Ia
too wet to cover well, the foot IL used
to I'LL the hole after the planter, as
birds will rarely trouble a field where
all the seed Is covered. Just before
the corn appears above the surface, the
ground Is dragged. Thereafter 1t is
cultivated with q spring tooth sulky
cultivatOr until too high for that and
continued with q Planet Junior until
tho corn tassels out. when, IL the sea-
son Is favorable. 1t Is laid by" II,
however, q dr0uth prevails the cultivu-
tton Is continued once q week or Oftener
until 1t rains. IL 1t takes all summer"
The first or second time of cultivuting,
according to the size of the corn, q 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 q hoe and tllins
to three stalks. Our planting Is usually
30 even and blowing so well done that
one man can hoe as fast as team can
cultivate. When the latest ears are
Well glazed the cutting Is done. From
70 to 100 hills are put In q shock
which, although large enough to pre-
vent rains driving through them to In
Jure the fodder, will cure we'll 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, u inches
long by 10 inches deep. Heads are Of
common 1O.inch boards, sides Of h.inch
strips (siding or old packing box mo-.
teriaD. bottoms Of nearly straight
slaves saved from sugar or cracker
barrels. Use six or seven penny" wire
nails. The boxes are drawn on fiat
rack and emptied directly into the
cribs. Last year we planted on May
~ and began cutting Sept. I, 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 1S88-112 days-caused by such
cool weather from Aug. IS to Aug. Is
that growth was retarded. The yield,
however, was better than last year.
AS will be seen, the average time of
maturity ID 1O4As days, the average
Yield 30 bushels for these two years,
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
loss In quality and size. The best
Qargestl ears are saved ut husking.
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 Mt huskine time.
The ears are tied by the husks 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.
Sense In Cp0aasn~