Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1895-09-26
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
The PRACTICAL BENEFITS OF
SHALLOW CULTIVATION.
Inc Growth of Corn RoOts-IIow Long TO
Keep Sheep - Salt as Food
Poultry Ffckings and
Household Helps.
Shallow Cultivation.


The journal of Agriculture publishes
the following extract from a paper
read by Mrs. Helen NJ. Laughlin
before the Northern series of far
mers' Institutes held in Missouri
There is such variety of influences
that have bearing in producing
crop of corn that when we have it
safely harvested it is difficult for
most corn growers to tell with
any degree of certainty just which
cause or causes produced certain re-
suits or conditions of growth. Corn
is grown everywhere, and soil as well
as climatic influences are so varied
that treatment that answers the
purpose in one section may in another
produce quite different results. SEN
sible men learn to vary somewhat
their practice SO as to accord with
condition of soil, climate, ETC.; and
instead of forming q hasty and per-
haps incorrect opinion regarding any
one method they will carefully test
each one side by side; not for one or
two seasons, but for term of years
sufficient to establish beyond doubt
the practicability of any particular
theory. From this they are able to
choose the one producing a maximum
crop with the least outlay of labor on
the fewest acres.
In all the years that farmers have
spent in cultivating corn by the old
method of cutting off roots in order
to make new ones grow, no one has
yet succeeded in changing the habit
of rootgrowth of the corn plant; and
No oil
always start with slight upward
slant. Cutting off these roots not
only gives the plant a shock which
checks its growth, but it limits the
area of plant food. If not cut off the
roots would extend so as to take up
the supply between the rows.
The structure and habits of the
corn roots themselves, offer to the
observant farmer the key to the cor
rect method of cultivation. From
careful study of the part of the corn
plant that grows under ground the
conclusion will be readily reached
that keeping the surface mellow, fine,
and level to the depth of two inches,
never allowing the formation of
crust, but forming a sort of dry soil
mulch, would be the right method to
produce best results. In short, shall
low and level culture for corn or
other surface-rooted crop is always
best; and when we see in a neighb Dor
hood one progressive farmer who
practices this method year after year
with certain success, does it not seem
strange that all of his neighbors are
content to jog along in the same old
rut, working the life out of them
selves and their teams, and receiving
for their labor starvation cropsP
quote the following from that vet
eran in corn culture, d. j. Bissell:
practice and philosophy teach that
to get the best yield in a crop of corn
we must supply it with all the ele-
ments needed for its most perfect
growth. not only in size of stalk, but
in form for producing the best form
of ear, and also the perfect filling out
and perfectly maturing the grain. To
insure this we must not son1y have
the required elements in the soil, but
we must make them available to the
plant. We may have every in
gredient in abundance in the soil, yet
If we so manipulate it as to render it
unavailing or inaccessible to the
plant we shall fail of getting a full
crop. Then the question naturally
arises, What treatment should be
given it?' We may by the use of
highly stimulating fertilizers get a
vigorous start that will give promise
of heavy crop, and if it be properly
treated will fulfill that promise. But
by neglect it may, nay must inevita-
bly, disappoint US. The necessary re-
quirements of food and moisture must
be supplied during it's entire growth
or it won: have been better not to
have stimulated it's growth at first,
Place box ten inches square around
the stalk and ten inches deep in
the soil and give moisture and plant
food, and the plant will grow at first
quite we'll. But when it gets consid-
cradle size it begins to dwindle and
finally ceases to grow, and fails to
produce an ear, or perhaps produces
q nubbin which ripens or rather dies
and dries up prematurely with the
cob half filed. But we can just as
reasonably expect a full crop with
that kind of culture as to expect it
by the method commonly practiced.
The use of the two horse cultivator
with its long shovels as effectually
deprives the plant of power of draw
ing the necessary nutritious elements
from the soil as the box does. It is
even worse, for it not only cuts off
the roots, but throws the dirt up in a
manner to be dried out in a few
hours. Then at the next blowing
that dry dirt is thrown to the bottom
and what moist dirt can be got is
thrown to the top to be in turn dried
out. The dry dirt at the bottom &C.
celebrating the drying process"