The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-02-26

| you have not enough mules for this,
then use long, sharp steel scOOters
and follow one furrow with another
Even the one horse farmer can do
| that.
You want a deep soil for corn, be-
cause corn roots grow deep, from five
to six feet if the hardpan is broken
so they can get down in the earth.
And because corn needs and must
have great deal of water to make
large crops.
Breaking deep gives both of these
conditions, root room and water.
MANURING.
But before you do this plowing
put on all the stable manure, lot
scrapings, and compost and every
form of vegetable matter you can
get. This Will then be thoroughly
mixed and have time to rot and fer
ment before spring.
In spring put on cotton seed or the
meal or fertilizers of any kind you
wish, broadcast, and harrow in thor
oughIy. These should be near the
surface and not subjected to the
winter rains.
You ask how much per acre? Well,
just as much as your faith, backbone,
conscience, and pocket book will
allow. The more manure the larger
the crop. There is no danger of
getting too much. If you give depth
OF soil and roomy root bed you need
not be afraid of over manuring.
HOW TO PLANT.
Now you can prove your faith by
your works. Harrow and harrow
again and again until you have sew
eral inches of pulverized soil. The
finer and deeper the better.
Without any bedding, plant in
rows about four feet and drop the
corn either by hand or with planter,
about IL to II inches. Put not less
than 5000 stalks per acre. Use a
little fertilizer in the drill, 100 or 200
pounds per acre.
HOW TO CULTIVATE.
Just before the corn comes up run
over wi h a light smoothing harrow.
Repeat the narrowing in eight or
ten days Then keep the middles
stirred with scraper or cultivator. If
dry weather comes use dust board.
Continue rapid shallow culture until
corn begins to tassel. We haYe tried
this plan repeatedly and never failed
to get our fifty bushels per acre.
Have averaged seventy bushels on
land very thin and poor when we
began.
Do not be afraid of crOwding if
you have plowed deep and manured
we'll.
THE COST OF THE CORN.
You will get your corn cheaper the
more you get per acre. We have
grown corn in this way for 18 cents
per bushel, not counting fodder and
stalks as worth anything.
But with shredding they are worth
a great deal.
1t is folly to plow an acre of land
all the year and get 10 to Is bushels
of corn. Take fewer acres. Prepare
better and make more and cheaper
corn.
Dry weather does not hurt corn on
this plan but very little. After a
few years your soil will be so deep
and rich, as to be practically indie
| pendent of drOuths.
You can SOW peas last time you
cultivate the corn. Then cut your
corn and SOW oats or wheat and you
will get such crops as you have not
seen before. This plan not only
makes sure corn crops, but rapidly
/ improves the soil.
Plenty of corn, and corn and peas
and oats and wheat-hay, make it
easy to raise hogs and beef cattle
and poultry. It is the foundation of
prosperity.
Try it and prove it false if you can
or true as you will. Don't go cotton
crazy.
A new variety not suited to your
soil and climate may be worse for
you than an old inferior variety
that is adapted to your section.
A poor soil we'll worked will ordi-
narily produce better crops than a
good soil poorly worked; but for