The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1903-12-31
PAPER ON RAISlNG CORN
Ralph Baker Reads an Interesting
Paper on Corn at the Decatur
County Farmers Institute.

AbVOu Wioii ~ oilbu you Will pdfuou Ilo IL
l do not keep closely to the subject.
Land is like live stock. 1t must be
we'll fed to produce best results. and
like stock must have concentrated food
as we'll as roughness. In other words
nitrogen and humus.
1t seems to me that the aim of all
farming should be to raise the maximum
acreage of corn with full yield. Our
land as rule lacks two elements, nitro
gen and humus, and to furnish these two
elements we must rotate our land; SOW
clover and keep as much live stock as
will consume the products of the farm.
Glover for this Immediate vicinity is the
ring of all legumes. 1t has the power
to take the free nitrogen from the air
and deposit it in the soil. Just how
this is done is still mooted point, but
we will take it for granted that it is
true. 1t seems to me that clover is the
best of all crops to restore the humus
of the soil, the requisite of good corn
crop. think two crops of clover are
better for land than ten of timothy.
always SOW all oats ground to clover.
Do not be afraid to sow plenty of seed,
even at $40 per bushel it is the cheap
est fertilizer that know Of | do not
calculate to raise but two crops of corn
then SOW to oats and clover. | gener-
ally SOW to timothy about one-half
clover. Would not SOW any timothy but
it sometimes happens that clover winter
kills, but not as often as is generally
supposed. l would always fall pillow sod
ground if possible. If not, as early in
the spring as [ could. l would pillow
stalk ground as soon in the spring as
could, then disc thoroughly two or
three times for sod and once or twice
for stalk ground. | am great believer
in disc. think it is the greatest tool
we have to prepare corn ground.
would not pillow excessively deep, six or
seven inches for fall blowing, and four
or five inches for spring blowing. Try
and get mellow, solid seed bed. do
not like to harrow very much. If we
have hard rains soon after it will crust
while if it has been disced it does not
seem to have the same effect.
| If the weather is warm and dry about
the first of May, start the planter. AS
a rule when it is damp, foggy or little
rainy do not plant, as 1 have failed to
get stand by so doing. My ideal time
to plant is from the 10th to the 18th of
May, but would not wait after the LIST if
the ground was in good condition and
the weather warm, neither would l
plant until the last without the condi-
tions were exceptionally favorable.
think as a rule it is better to check and
plant 3x3 by 3x6, three kernels to the
hill. If the weather was dry l would
harrow before it comes up, and if a
heavy stand, once after it is up.
| AS to cultivators, there half dozen
different kinds, all good and any one Of
them will do better work at certain
times than the others. But we cannot
afford to keep all the different kinds.
Would use a 3 small shovel, as they
seem to me the nearest all around culti-
vator that know of. l do not believe
in cultivating corn as often as some adj
vocate. think three times is enough.
The first time over get close to the corn
anc pretty deep, the second time not
quite so close and not so deep and the
third time not as close or as deep. I'm
less very wet leave the ground the last
time over nearly level.
In regard to cutting corn / do not
think it pays unless hay is worth So per
ton. My observation is that corn that
is cut will shrink at least 10 per cent
more than that left to ripen on the
stalk.
We are more troubled in this vicinity
with too much rain than too little
Tile draining has not been wholly sue
cessful but in clover we have a plant
that partially solves the problem. 1t
loosens the subsoil until it absorbs more
moisture and it seems to dry faster and
is more mellow.
In regard to seed corn am very diff
dent about saying very much when an
to be followed by Prof. Holden, the pee,
of all corn experts. But would say thai
would plant as large a variety as
would be reasonably sure to get ripe
Would plant yellow corn on strong LAND
and white corn on thin land, as my OBJ
servation is that white corn natures
better on thin land than yellow. be
lieve that we are on the eve of great
improvement in red corn and think
when we have listened to Prof. Holden
we will have been entertained and very
much instructed in regard to seed corn
/ Great is corn, king of the cereals
When we have a full crop we have fat
horses, cattle, sheep and hogs, prosper