The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-07-27


corn in autumn we are then ready for
Thanksgiving.
SCIENTIFIC CORN CULTURE.
The following are the essential facts
presented by Prof. P. G. Holden. as
sistant professor Of agricultural phys
les at the Illinois university. in his
talk on Different Kinds of Corn Cul-
tivation" at the Stephenson county
| Ql.) Farmers Institute:
II will give the results Of some ex-
periments made at the University of III
not always be the same, as the sur
rounding conditions may not be the
same one year as the next. 1t Is neces-
sary for the farmer of all people to use
brains. These experiments were to de-
termine the effect Of different depths
Of cultivation on the root system and
on the moisture in the soil, the effect
of the condition in which the ground
is left. and the effect on the yield Of
corn. In root pruning machine is
used which cuts straight down in the
ground at a distance Of six inches from
the hill Of corn and on the four sides
of it. One row Of corn was pruned and
the next row left. The corn not root
pruned yielded 80 bushels per acre;
that pruned two inches deep, 70 BUSH
els; four inches deep, 63.5 bushels; six
inches, 4S bushels. When pruned on
only two sides Of the HILL Two inches
deep, the yield was 78 bushels; four
inches, rs bushels; six inches. GA BUSH
els. The deeper the root pruning the
less the yield Of corn. All this corn
was thinned out exactly alike. to four
stalks in the hill, and the pruning done
four times in the season from June 10
to July 8. The number of ears pro-
duced in each of the conditions above
were respectfully 414. 400, 364 and 1854.
showing a uniform decrease the deeper
the root pruning.
1.-THE average Of twenty-one expert
ments showed that corn ground culti-
waited two inches deep retained Els
moisture; 3 inches, 22.7; 4 inches. 229;
6 inches. 235: corn not cultivated but
cleared o weeds. 20.7. showing grad
ueal increase Of moisture with the in
creased depth of cultivation. The
moisture to a depth Of twenty-seven
inches was actually measured. The DIFF
ference Of about 2 per cent Of mois-
ture in the cultivation from two to six
inches deep means eighty tons Of water
to the acre. Corn mulched with June
grass retained 26.e moisture.
| "Ordinary cultivation four inches
deep retained 22.e moisture; deep plow-
moisture: shallow blowing early and
| deep blowing late, PA moisture; deep
blowing early with smoothed surace
later, 24.5. Tower cultivation retained
1913 moisture; tower ridge. 23.1; ridge.
22.6: harrow, 22.0. The shallower the
cultivation the lower the moisture.
1.-THE yield Of earn per acre at the
respective depths Of 2. 3. 4 and inches
of cultivation were 1888. 1914, 90.1. SAB
bushels; corn not cultivated. 1871 BUSH
els: corn with the weeds left in. 5S.s
| bushels: corn mulched. III.
"These experiments show that in av-
eraging up the decrease of yield with
the deeper inference with the roots and
the increased moisture with the deeper
cultivation that the best results were
obtained from cultivation three inches
deep. In four years cultivation we
have found that corn not cultivated but
carefully weeded out yielded more than
all the other methods. but 1t costs more
to cut the weeds that the increased
yield amounts to. We have had excel
lent results fro mcultivating only with
a harrow and weeder. The moisture
coming up from below by capillary at
traction is quickly passed off into the
air when 1t strikes shallow loosened
surface. but ii the cultivation is deeper.
forming mulch. the moisture is held
by 1t much better.
1.-The effects of different methods Of
cultivation on the yield were as fol-
lows: Ordinary. OIL bushels: deep
blowing early and shallow blowing
late. SS.5: shallow blowing early and
deep blowing late. ss.9: deep blowing
early anu SHuooeHSheu iate' o''0' loWeE,
ss.5: tower ridge. 90.5: ridge. 94.2; har-
row, 800.
FARMERS WIVES AND POULTRY.
On most farms the farmers wives are
supposed to do the greater part of the
labor in caring for and raising the poul-
try. Some Of them get their pin money
in that way and some Of them get
quite bit more than that, making a
considerable sum for more substantial