The Van Buren press., 1895-04-27
FARMER AND PLANTER
CULTIVATION OF CORN.
4 Kentucky Farmer 6iv~s MS Brethre
His Ideas ON the Subject.

A Kentuckv Farmer dives HIS Brethren
His Ideas ON the Subject.
The first thing that should be consid-
cred in raising crop Of corn is, wheth-
er or not the soil to be used contains
the necessary fertility to produce
paying crop. If it does not, it is very
certain that the cultivation of it with
out first applying some kind OF ferth.
izer will result In loss We can not
get something out of nothing. and
while every farmer will readily admit
the truth of this yet many plant corn
on land, that in good season, Will not
produce enough to pay twenty-five
cents day for the time it takes to cul-
tivate it, and as hard times are now no
farmer would think Of working for
quarter per day and board himself
even though he knew the money would
be paid promptly at sundown
With the question of sufficient fer
tility decided favorably, the next
thing is to break the land as early in
the fall as possible, the depth OF
which should be governed by the
thickness OF the soil; thin soil shallow
and thick soil deep. My reason for
preferring fall plowing is that ! think
the soil retains moisture longer, when
subjected to dry weather. Droughts
have been SO severe and of such fire.
quent occurrence in the past that
every available means should be
adopted that will in any degree avert
the damage incurred by them. The
next thing to be done is to pre-
pare the land for planting,
which l think is best done by
laying off rows three feet ten inches
apart with two horses to one-horse
plow running as deep as it will plow
we'll, and then crossing them with
rows OF the same width, but shallow.
This leaves considerable depth of loose
dirt in the cross where three or four
grains of well matured, sound corn
should be dropped and covered by rum
hing harrow over the ground. The
seed being in the ground, the next
thing is to cultivate the soil in such
manner that when the crop is laid by
corn roots will have full possession of
it from bottom to top. The mode of
cultivation that will best result
in this condition, varies some
what with the season. Before the
corn comes up a good, deep furrow
should be run midway between each
row and followed by an A harrow with
the front tooth running directly in the
row. These burrows, besides forming
good drainage allow the air to circu-
late more freely through the soil,
which prevents it from getting too
hard for the tender corn sprouts to get
through. After corn is we'll up it
should have turning plow run good
depth on each side, and as near the
row as possible, throwing the dirt to
the middle, which leaves ridges
where the burrows were left by
the first plowing. This leaves
the young corn growing in a
narrow strip of land that
can not be easily flooded by heavy
rains, but can be easily penetrated by
the faint rays of an early spring sun.
This causes the roots of the corn to
grow downward while it is young, and
prevents them from being torn off by
the plow in after cultivation.
After this, If weather continues cool
and wet, corn should be narrowed and
plowed in the same manner across the
other way. BY the time another plow-
ing is needed corn should have attained
considerable size, and begins now to
need more soil near the row, consequent.
ly the middle that has been prepared
and kept in reservation should be
thrown toward the row. This can be
accomplished best by running turn
ing plow about six inches from the
row on each side and splitting the mid
die with double-shovel. Roots will
then put out from the corn stalks al
as near the surface as the moisture Of
the season will admit. All that il
necessary after this is shallow or sur
face cultivation. If the top of the
ground is kept free of grass and weed.
the roots of the corn will do the rest
and on good limestone soil will pro
duce eight to ten barrels Of corn pei
acre in the most unfavorable season
we ever have in Kentucky.-Cor.F Farm
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