The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1895-04-26
CORN GROWING.
Many Tests of Improved Methods
Made by the Agricultural
Experiment Station.

1t is often interesting to note the
great advance of investigation in the
field of agriculture. 10y experiment sta
tons in the various States and none
reach a higher plane of usefulness in
the matter of important accomplish
ments than the Maryland Agricultural
Experiment Station at College Park.
Every month circulars and pamph-
lets are. sent out to those who desire
them, containing Il detailed account of
all the work done during the time iu-
Dictated, valuable compilations, tables
aud statistics, of great use to the farm
er and all interested III any way with
the cultivation of the soil.
Improvement is the order of this
hustliug generation, and III no line Is
il more marked than the above. \
large acreage is devoted TO practical
tests Of different varieties of seeds, &C.
reals and plants under different cir
cumstances; fertilizers are tiled, con-
demned or approved as the case may
be; the Use of manure Is advocated for
certain soils, aud in fact, every feature
entering into the planting, raising,
cultivation and gathering III of pro-
ducts of the farm and garden, is care
fully looked into and described.
Any person who desires one of these
valuable bulletins, can send their
names and addresses to Robert II. Mil
Ter, director, Maryland Agricultural
Experiment Station, College Park,
Md, and all issues will be sent to them
free Of charge.
A recent experiment in the raising
of corn under different conditions, was
conducted by Robert H. Miller and
f. II. Briukley. Following were the
various tests:
No. /. Fertilizer test.
& 2. Testing width of rows where
corn is drilled.
g. Deep vs. shallow cultivation.
/. Frequent VS.. unfrequent cul-
tivation.
). Drilled VS.. checked corn.
g. Comparative value of man
ures.
The season of 1894 was not favor
able one for the corn crop generally.
Only one-half the normal rainfall oc-
CURED during May, June, July and
August, and that was unequally dis
tributed. The land on which the eX-
periments were tried was worn out
sod, upon which "a large crop was
produced the previous season. This was
for the fertilizer test. 1t was plowed
early in January and light top dress
ing of street sweepings evenly applied.
After this, twenty bushels OF stone
lime was put on. The land was well
narrowed and rolled.
The plot of ground was sixty feet
wide. On one half of this was drilled
in 800 lbs. of fertilizer to the acre in
proportion, Immediately before plant
ing the corn. The compound was COM
posed of 500 lbs. dissolved South Caro-
lima Rock 800 lbs. dried fish; 200 lbs.
nitrate of soda; POO lbs. muriate of pot
ash, the whole selling at SIS per ton.
The rows were then put nine inches
apart; one stalk left every eighteen
inches The crop was worked five
times. The result in brief was: An
application of 800 lbs. of fertilizer on
corn increased the yield 81 bushels
per acre, but the increased yield was
not sufficient to pay for the application
Of the fertilizer.
The second experiment "as testing
width of rows where corn drilled.
The ground used was adjoining that of
the above, and prepared in the same
manner. Corn was plauted in alter
nate sections of wide and Morrow rows;
the wide rows being five feet, the mar
row ones three feet nine inches, four
rows to each section-three OF wide
a |. & Il
low corn was drilled Oh May LIST. Ii was
thinned out in the wide rows to
one stalk to every twelve inches,
and in the Narrow ones the same to ev-
cry fifteen inches. In this way the
same number Of stalks per acre were
left in each plat. The result obtained
was: In the test of the wide and mar
row rows, the narrow rows gave an i'll
creased yield Of 6.4sbushels.
The next Investigation was that of
deep versus shallow cultivation of corn.
The la.d was prepared similar to that
Used in the af0regDing Test. The corn
was planted on the 2nd day OF May. !
The rows were three feet nine inches
apart and QUE stalk to every fifteen
inches. -Four sections of six rows each
were laid out iii sections and 2 The !
land WIS worked five times 10 Il depth |
Of seven inches with double shovel |
plow. The remaining sections were
worked the same number of times,
out onlygto depth of three inches.
1t was found that the shallow cultiva-
ton of corn gave "a slightly better re-
suit than deep cultivation.
Then followed experiments with FREE
nntrpnn4lf
There is quite II diversity of opinion
among farmers as To the amount of
that it is profitable to give
corn; some claiming that the land I
should be frequently stirred evarv
Pr ssJo OF Tents ~. - ( - \
I .s.oa teo -1ays, While Others nom
that any cultivation aiiioie than Is nee
essary TO keep down the weeds IS UNI
profitable. With the object of throw
ma, comm Ii0ht ON This uOlut this test |