The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1898-07-23
FARMER ANDPLANTER.
THE CULTIVATION OF CORN.
May Be, Unless Thoroughly Culti-
waited 1t Will Not Pay.


son and proper cultivation it will make
a good crop. But it makes no differ
ence how rich the soil may be, unless
the crop is thoroughly cultivated from
the time it is big enough till it is too
high to pillow. the crop will not reward
richly. Nothing in the way of grain
crops requires as much attention as the
corn crop; it should be cultivated as
often as seems needed. Some pillow the
corn simply to keep out weeds and the
ground clean, but the minority pillow it
to keep the ground loose and the soil
stirred so moisture can rise. This is
far better and does the corn more good.
Weeds don't amount to very much in
o cornfield. have seen them as thick
as could be in young corn, but after "a
few plowings and weddings they were
SO completely backset that they never
caught up with the corn, and hence did
no harm. OF course, if they are per-
mitted to grow nearly to their full size
and height they will take great deal
Of fertility out of the soil. Jimson
weeds are the vilest extant, but are
easily rooted out with cuxivator
with six fine sharp shovels. These
weeds grow to be five or six feet tall,
and will hold up the weight of man.
They draw on the plant food of the soil
extravagantly, and as rule thrive only
on the richest soils.
We have another weed here that Sc
riously interferes with corn at GER
tain time in the year. Some call it
the silver-rooted weed; l call
it the square weed. 1t has
leaves like mint and looks much
like mint. It's roots are silvery white,
and each plant is provided with null
titude of them; the canes of the weeds
are perfectly square, as if they were
thus made by planning. These weeds
grow largely in the black, sandy lands,
and are most vigorous few weeks af-
ter wheat is cut, and they get the ben
eft of sunshine. There is no killing
them out; at least, have never sue
ceeded IN SO doing. The best way l
know of to retard their growth and
give them great backset is to sow
timothy among them, and use the field
which they have about taken for q
meadow. In two or three years the
timothy crowds them nearly out. But
in the corn or wheat field they grow
luxuriantly, and if not checked by cul-
tivators will rob the crops of fertility.
l have found it good practice to har-
row corn with q tooth harrow as soon
as it comes up. This makes the ground
looca a hout tho roots .. nj ..,,t, <,,t ,.,<>.t
Of the fine weeds. OF course we have
not yet come to Mr.. Ierry's weeder.
The Acme NASH harrow does the work
admirably, set to run almost level.
This process pulverises the clods and
makes it easy sailing for the young
corn right in the start when it needs it
most. Some roll the field when the
corn is about six inches high SO as to
pulverize the clods and level the ground,
but l do not approve of this because
rolling makes the ground compact and
smooth and heavy rain will wash it
badly and wash out the corn. More
over, oftentimes large clods are right on
top Of a hill and the roller comes along
and mashes that clod down upon the
corn and covers it up SO deeply it can
never see daylight Narrowing is much
better and besides smoothing the
ground it cuts out the fine weeds and
is equal to blowing with a cultivator.
We usually have pretty severe
droughts here in July and August;
sometimes they commence in the latter
part of June. When the farmers see
the drought is at hand many of them
quit blowing and say it is folly to stir
the ground when it is SO dry: that it
will kill the roots of the corn to pillow
among them. But this is big mis-
take. In dry weather we do not need
to pillow close enough to the roots of
corn to injure them; pillow in the mid
die of the rows and stir it deep
~. This will facilitate the ris-
ing of moisture, and moisture
will invigorate the crop through
the entire drought. Don't cultivate the
corn crop simply to keep out the
weeds, but to keep the ground stirred
The first blowing should be shallow,
going deeper each succeeding time un-
til the last blowing, which should be
very shallow and followed by smooth
ing tool of some kind. The crop should
not be laid by by deep blowing; this
leaves the ground uneven and liable to
wash badly. Ralxes attached to the
cultivator shovels will fill the burrows
and level the ground between the rows
We pillow corn from three to four times,
but five or six times is not too often.
In fact, the more the better, if they
be properly directed. Corn should be
forced to grow as rapidly as possible.
Cultivation alone will do this.--De
Witt G. Wing, in Epitomist.