The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-05-08
FARNERANDP PLANTER
CULTIVATION OF CORN.

CULTIVATION Or OO6N.
A Kentucky Farmer Gives His Brethren
His Ideas on the Subject.
The first thing that should be cnnsld-
cred in raisinga crop OF corn is, wheth-
er or not the soil to be used contains
the necessary fertility to produce a
paying crop. If it does not, it IS very
certain that the cultivation Of 1t with
out first applying some kind OF fertll-
izer will result in a loss. We can not
get something out of nothing, q
while every far 1er will readily admit
the truth of this yet many plant corn
on land, that in a good season, will not
produce enough to pay twenty-five
cents a day for the time it takes to cul-
tivate it, and as hard times are now no
farmer would think of working for q
quarter per day and board himself
even though he knew the money would
be paid promptly at shutdown.
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 til TX soil deep. My reason for
preferring fall blowing is that l think
the soil retains moisture longer, when
subjected to dry weather. Droughts
have been so severe and .oEsuch fire.
quent occurgeneein~~th past that
every-a 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 I 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 pillow
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 run
ming a harrow over the ground. The
seed being in the ground, the next
thing is to cultivate the soil in such a
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
goods 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 a turning plow run a 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 blowing. This leaves
the young corn growing in a
ns ,ow strip of land that
car 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
prev nts them from being torn off by
the plow in after cultivation.
After this, if weather continues cool
and wet, corn shoulo be narrowed and
plowed in the same manner across the
other way. By the time another plow-
ing isneeded corn should have attained
considerable size, and begins now to
need more soil near therow, consequent
" the middle that has been prepared
and kept in reservation should be
thrown toward the row. This can be
accomplished best by running a turn
ing plow about six inches from the
row on each side and splitting the mid
die with a double-shovel. Roots will
then put out from the corn stalks as
as near the surface as the moisture Of
the season will admit. All that is
necessary after this is shallow or sur
face cultivation. If the top of the
ground is. kept free of grass and weeds
the roots of the corr will do the rest,
and on a good limestone soil will pro-
duce eight to ten barrels of corn per
acre in the most unfavorabl season
we ever have in kentuc&y.-Cor. Farm
ers' Home Journal.