Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1897-01-28
FARMER AND PLANTER.
CORN IN TIE SOUTH.


I p 800 y A@aNa Na A.AA = aA NaAH
Caroiinas is not over eight bushels per
acre Now, it must DE admitted that
where the first IS possible. the genera.
average > TAR lover than j. should be
" ith any proper system % farming.
The low average weld - r1rn IS tAe
result - the oua-crop system IL co.
tou culture. in zhlcA no rotation 81
crops was practiced. ant coru was r1t
grown - any extent. the -,ttlaa grow
rrs prrferrirE 20 buy western corn out
- the proceeds q to cotton crop.
wrongly imagining that they tou44
buy more cheapiv than ta~y
could grow g.. This vas proba-
Big true ia thc impoverished
state q the and devoted To- constant
clean culture In cotton Bat vitH the
fali 90 pric- 20 cotton the u-,~s.it- for
growing foot crops. which th- r'-t1a
would no longer pav for. was forced
on the southern farmer.
More attention J. being pad Ca tle
corn crop, and there D. "a genera de-
sire 20 improve the production Un-
- the chief reasons for the lack cf pro-
ductiveness in corn ia the south IS tre
lacS - systematic effort O. improve tde
seed planted by careful - ection fen
The felt. from th= most product "
stalks. Corn must ts improved tar
cultivation in the iatitud. ~ here 70 l.
% be grown. The sending north or
south Is not the way. far either must
he acc.imated u the locality to do -
best The number Of .ta * in our
corn fields entirely barren 81 ear. is
astonishing 90 Que accustomed % good
corn growing. and these barren stslts
ali bear tassels aud pollen go ait 80
perpctultsug their kind. IL a field
where seed eprn Is - be saved no stalk
without an ear should - allowed 20
mature a tassel, and the seed should
be selected from those stalk, that pro-
duce the most perfect ears. aud from
the ear nearest the ground only. Per-
sistent saving d seed in this WAY will
Of Itself materially increase the yield.
But it II 70 The Increased fertility of
the soil that we must look for the Per
fectiou 81 our crops. The lands # the
cotton belt have by the long. clean
culture in cotton and winter exposure
10 rain. been 30 exhausted 81 their
hunus that any effort at Improvement
must include the restoration q th..
vegetable matter With plenty Of
vegetable matter ia The soil corn needs
"a" application of heterogeneous manure.
a. u grows al through the hottest
weather, when the nutriHcatiou In
thi> vegetable matter IS most active
THIS = oEs reason why stabis
manure has better -ffec, on
the crop than Artificial tertiIiz
ers zppli-d directly - - liz
vegetable matter il. she manure Keeps
- lie nltrifying Proe-ss ali summer
Bat unfortunately In the v-rv parts OF
the country where these matters are
needed most. stable manure $ not
plentiful. from the fact that - little
attention has been pa ii 20 stock raisinc
n the cotton b-iL We are. however.
able 80 10 initiate the action % stable
manure b. means OF ieguminoas crops.
in connection with potash salts and
acid phosphate. that is absence
need be no draw BACK to the improve
meat Of our lands for either corn or
cotton.
The farmers IN the north discovered
long ago that the best crops Of corn
are grove on an inverted sod. buried
deeply. aud the corn buried very shal-
lowIy above il. So that the G-cavtns-
sod would feed the roots al summer.
While it Is not possible. IN many parts
Of the south. aud particularly IN the
cotton belt. To have the sod that the
northern farmer hnds 50 valuable W..
can still get an equal. II not better
effect, from a crop Of peas buried IN
tine soil Let the peas attain their full
growth aud die upon the land, and in
>epte Der SOW crimson clover On the
land among the dying peas The
clover viii grow all winter and in the
spring al can be plowed under deeply
for corn
There il No crop with which the
I deepening % the soil can be better
done than with corn The practice. 50
common in the south, Of euItivatinr
/ corn with a pillow IS all wrong. II the
/ land IS well broken in the first place
/ the 81 bSeqHent culture should be per
| fectly level and shallow. Never "iav
I by" corn with plow. and a big ridge.
under the Impression that the ridge
keeps it from falling down in high
winds 1t will throw out better brace
I roots and stand the wind better on a
level surface than on a ridge. and the
crop viii be far better for the shal low
+ culture than IL the roots had been
mutilated By running pillow through
the rows late in the season.
/ Anot her practice in corn culture in
/ the south which have proved 70 be An
error = that of giving corn, az least on
our red clay soils, SO much distance.
On land deeply broken. and with a
/ good supply Of vegetable matter
turned under, corn can be planted in
I four-foot rows. and Is to 20 inches be-
tween stalks, more prOfitably than the
usual distance u i've to six feet be-
tween stalks We have grown over
sixty bushels Of corn per acre on land
+ that three years before would hardly
grow any at all, mainly By deep plow-
ing and shallow culture. and | an DER.
feetly 81 Eisiied that on cur red clav. in
an Improved condition, corn can be
grown a. closely as in the middle
states.
But 10 enable the previous eroo Of
i 49, N=NHN ~ A@~AAEA AAAE nitrogen
needed for the corn crop, Il is essential
that the exhausted plant food should
be supplied The peas and the clover
viii restore the nitrogen. but in order
that they may do 50 the mineral ele-
ments IF plant food. the potash and
phosPhOrie acid, must be present
When a soil : exhausted Of these il
must be restored to il artiieialIv. for
We can not By any practice get
/ these from the air as We can thu
nitrogen through the agency Of
the peas and clover Therefore ".
should bring about a vigorous
growth of the nitrogen-eolle ting
plants, peas aud clover, By liberal an
Plieatious Of these things. The cheap
est way in which We can get the phos-
phorie acid Is in the shape Of acid
phosphate or dissolved phosphatie
roek, aud the cheapest way to get the
potash is in the patash salts. ,ueb -