Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-03-21
SOME FARM TOPICS.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO TIL
LEns or The SOIL.
gncreasing the Corn Yfeid-Reser-
veirs ON Farms-rake Car 81 the
S~heep-ldens for Your Gar len
TeRchinS Calves to Drink.

It is upon corn rather than any other
Farm crop that the commercial and in
dustrial prosperity Of the country de-
ponds. Every year the point Of great
est interest among those who look out
for the future Of transportation indus
tries Is the condition Of the corn crop.
Individual farmers and particular To-
eaiities may be prosperous In other
ways. but none of these are sufficient
a a large corn crop Is to make the
whole country share In this prosperity.
When we have q large corr crop the
prosperity is universal
There can be little doubt that II Is
yearly growing more difficult in many
localities to grow good corn crops
Corn loves the warmth which IL finds
In the open texture OF new lands filed
with vegetable matter, the accumula-
ton Of ages or decaying vegetation.
Cultivation rapidly lessons the pro-
portion of vegetable matter, and the
roots, whether in clay or sand or grav-
ell dc not run so freely as they do in
vegetable loan. All over the country
the proportion of new land full Of veg
etable matter on which corn can be
grown is eacn year growing less. With
this decrease Of good land for corn
will naturally follow increasing diff
cuites In growing large crops OF IL.
We suspect that this, rather b eX-
ceptionai seasons and climatic Diff
culties. Is the cause of some recent par
tial failures of the corn crop.
The great drought extending all over
Che Northern states Last summer IL
given as the explanation OF Last sea-
sons reduced corn crop. But drought
affects most the lands that have been
longest under cultivation. Soils filed
with vegetable matter hold moisture
from the spring rains. and even In the
dryest season the corn crop VIII not
utterly fail them. Thorough cultiya-
ton is also IN most parts OF the u
try a preventive of the worst effects
of droughts. In all the states east OF
she arid region Of the far West there
are occasional showers and heavy dews
during what are called dry times. III
the moisture from these is made the
most OF a good corn crop can be grown
In the dryest seasons. Those who from
the first cultivated their o crop last
summer did not fail TO secure a good
yield.
The most common cause Of failure of
Che corn crop in the Western states Is
a poor stand, owing TO defective seed.
The extreme cold weather which has
lately been experienced in all parts OF
the country maks il certain that poor
corn seed will be common this year.
The Dent corn has always a good deal
of moisture in IL until spring, and
whenever subjected to severe freezing
the germ is swelled by freezing Of n
moistnre I'm IL. That greatly impairs
IL II does not entirely destroy its vital
tty. IL Is the swelling Of h germ
after planting that generates warmth,
and also compacts the soil O the
seed so that the first rootlets put forn
get immediate hold OF II.
BIZ careful selection OF seed, by good
and thorough cultivation. which I'M
proyed hsrrows and ~cultivators make
possible, the corn crop per acre may
be increased. That in these times Is
the only way to insure an increased az
1regate yield. The reliance on q larger
acreage planted In corn has repeat
edly been shown to be ~fallacious. We
had an unusually large acreage OF core
a year ago early In the season, but be-
Gore fall a considerable part of this
acreage had been abandoned for grain.
III the same or a smaller acreage he
planted each year, and the effort be
directed to getting a greater yield per
acre. the result will be better Tor the
country. The large yield will gener-
ally give q profit to the grower, while
the small crops are always produced
mt a bss-American Cultivator.