The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1898-10-08
FARM ARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
.AoRicULTURIsTs.
some UP-to-Date Hints About Cub
tivatiOn Of the sOn and Yields
Thereof Horticulture. vitlOuIturs and
FlorIculture.
Corn Culture.


bulletin "a, Georgia experiment sta
ton; Corn delights in a deep. mellow,
Ileh and moist loan. Any Of the or
uinary soils of the country that are
elmer naturally Of the above charac-
ters, or can be brought into the re-
CURED condition by proper rotation,
deep and thorough preparation and lib
erai manuring, and can be maintained |
IN this condition by frequent and thor
ough surface culture, will produce sat- |
Aslactory yields of corn, with a mod |
crate, well distributed rainfall. Per-
maps the most essential requirement |
Ior an abundant yield of corn is plenty
OF moisture in the soil. Without this
plenty OF moisture, such a yield is alb
solutely impracticable. It is not in
dlspensable that the moisture shall be
supplied. directly by abundant rains
during the period of the growth of the
crop, but the requirement must be met
IN some way. The supply of moisture
from rainfalls may be supplemented,
or entirely substituted. by irrigation,
as is done in arid and semi-arid re-
glons; or the farmer may trust to the
clouds for a generous supply; but the
demand for moisture must be met, or
the crop will be more or less failure.
Without resorting to expensive irri-
cation, and not willing to rely on the
rainfall from the heavens, the farmer
may select the low-lying, naturally
moist and deep soils, along the water
courses-the bottom lands" These
soils are moister than the uplands, not
solely because of their being lower, and
near watercourse, but-and perhaps
chieay-because of their greater depth
and their loamy character, or large con-
tent of humus, or decayed vegetable
matter. These soils become thorough
ly saturated with moisture during the
winter and spring rains, and on &C
count Of their depth and quantity OF
humus, they retain the moisture dur
ing much longer period.
In the absence Of such soils. If the
farmer wishes to produce regularly
profitable crops Of corn, he must bring
his uplands, as nearly as practicable,
into the condition of the loamy, bot
tom lands. Moisture, moisture, is the
prime essential, and moisture he must
provide, or he will certainly fail of
crop, if the clouds withhold their ac-
customed supply. Every intelligent
farmer understands the Importance OF
deep and thorough breaking of the soil
early in the spring, or even earlier. Not
so many appreciate the Importance OF
fning the soil, by narrowing until the
clods disappear into fine soil. 1t is
also desirable to keep the soil in this
fine. friable condition, especially the
superficial layer. But more valuable
and only permanently effective means
IS to fill the soil, as rapidly as possible
with vegetable matter, or humus. This
may be done tn-two ways: Il. By-actu-
ally transporting from elsewhere the
necessary vegetable matter, in the form
Of stable manure, eompOsts, leaves,
muck, etc. Under the present system
of farming in the south this method is
impracticable, except on small scale;
and often it cannot, be probably fol-
lowed. even on a small scale, because
of the cost Of the labor involved Sin
handling and hauling of leaves, muck,
and other coarse and crude materials.
(21 The other, and most practicable
method, and one that is adapted to any
scale of operations, is regular rotation
of crops. including small grain, REQ
clover, cowpeas,. or other .renovatine
crop. A judicious, well-managed rota-
ton may be made profitable at every
stage and every crop, as well as profit
able. in the long run, aa
An experience Of seven years in di-
recting the operations OF the station
| farm has served only to confirm and
| deepen the conviction that the uplands
of Georgia do not, as rule. produce
profitable crops of corn, unless faTmed
in accordance with the suggestion!
here given. Farmers are prone to BASE
| their calculations of the loss and
| gain" in farming almost solely on the
cotton crop, probably because it is the
crop that actually requires the greatest
| outlay of capital and labor. and it il
the one crop that is always converted
into cash. But a careful account of thu
loss and gain of other crops woulc
probably reveal the fact that many
farmers lose as large per cent or Sc
cure as much a profit in producing
corn oats. potatoes and other provision
crops as they do in the cotton crop.
Force of habit and the traditions o
the mast have brought the farmers t.
rely too much on corn as the grea'
nroyision crop. When the soils were
choice and in an almost virgin condi
tion it was most convenient, salts
tying and profitable crop.
Crimson Glover in the North.
! n----.- .Nnurn,. hnn han rnrrn "a I'D