The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-07

at the same time about five inches
deep, with three horse plOw, the first
week in May. It was well narrowed
and all Jumps pulverized by running
over the land before the planter with q
heavy clod smoother. It was planted
May 18th, with the common two horse
planter and check rover, three feet six
inches by three feet six inches, three
kernels to the hill. Upon this one par
ticular acre, as soon as the corn was
up 80 that Icould see the hills planted
two kernels eight inches apart and six
teen inches from the hills planted by
the planter. The seed used in the
planter was the early white mastodoD,
very large early corn. The kernels
I planted between the hills by hand
were Boone county white.
''When the corn was five inches high
went through with a hoe. stirring
the ground between the plants and
thinning out the hills to two stalks.
The first blowing was done about May
%, with a common two horse cultivR-
tor, which we run as deep as possible
to loosen up the ground, that the roots
might have plenty Of mellow soil We
followed the cultivator the next day
with plant smoother, which / made
just long enough to pass between the
rows, which we used with one horse.
This smoother leveled and pressed the
coil tn po+nio tho rooSof,1po Tho So0ouH
plowing was done June 10th. with the
same two horse cultivator, running it
about half as deep as we did the first
time, and followed it with the plank
smoother, which left the ground in
splendid shape-f1ne, mellow, smooth,
level, and slightly pressed which
acted like a blanket to retain all the
moisture in the soil. The third plow.
ing was doEe July 81, and consisted
only in going over the ground with the
plank smoother with a few No. 40
wire spikes driven into the plank to
slightly stir the soil; but not deep
enough to disturb any roots.
"After it was taaseled out, I went
through and cut out any iCferiOr tas
sells. believe the secret of my success
was in planting two varieties of corn
in the same row, one being little later
than the other, which prolonged the
season OF polleniz alton, and made me
a perfect ear upon every stalk. The
deep cultivation the first time, followed
up both first and second blowing with
the plank smoother, crushed all Jumps,
leveled and pressed the light soil, and
retained all the moisture. The balance
of the Fl I'D, nine acres Of the early
white mastodon corn, where did not
plant between the hills, with only
common cultivation, will average
about ninety five bushels to the acre,
of very fine corn, and believe if I had
treated the whole field of ten acres the
same way did the one single acre,
could have made it average $50 bush
els 1t has been a valuable lesson to
me, and shall profit by it next year.
1t will be seen that the plan followed
by Mr.. Fursman entailed but little
extra work, and the increase in the
yield was sixty five bushels as com
pared with the remainder of the field,
which was like the premium acre in
every respect as far as the condition of
the soil was concerned.
Ed. Y. Bohl, of Fulton county, was
another Of the contestants for. the
prize, winning one Of the premiums,
with a yield of $50 bushels to the acre.
He gives the history of his acre below:
II took q field of mixed timothy and
clover sod, putting on ten loads OF
stable manure to the acre. The latter
part of April plowed the land eight
inches deep. then rolled it down and
worked up once with the st. Louis
rotary hoe instead Of disc harrow. /
then narrowed it once each way with
an ordinary smoothing harrow, and
rolled it down. May II and IL planted
it with Msule's early mastOdOn corn,
checking it three feet eight inches each
way, three grains to the hill. After it
came up, and while small, I cultivated
it once each way with the ST Louis
rotary hoe, and after that once each
way with the ordinary cultivator, with
large shovels on, but going shallow,
and not ridging up very much. The
land is white oak soil and has been in
meadow for the past years. No com
mercial fertilizers of any kind have
ever been used on this land. The en-.