Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-06-02
Farm Crops.
KEEP THE CULTIvATOR AND wEEDER
BUSY AND GET LARGER CROPS.

Through the northern states corn will
be up, or soon to come up, when you
read these lines. The yield of the crop
will depend partly on how it is cared for
from now on. Let me advise you little
about how to do. Start the cultivator
just as soon as you can see to follow the
rows, if the land is dry enough so the
tramping of the horses will do no harm.
Loosen up the ground and do it deeply.
This will let the air into the soil. 1t
will help about warming it up and max
ing food ready for the crop. l would
run the teeth pretty close to the rows.
The roots have but just started at this
time and you will do no harm, practical
ly. To prevent covering the little plants
use shield, or very narrow teeth.
These narrow teeth are not usually fur
nished with ordinary cultivators, but
you can buy them extra, and they can
be used generally on most any cultivator.
The ones | used to think the most of
were one and quarter inches wide. My
experience has been mostly with pota-
toes, but it is the same with corn. With
these very narrow teeth was not oblig-
ed to hold the horses in the first time
through, so as not to cover the little
plants. This made the teeth quite profit
able, as a man could do more in day
and the horses could walk right along at
their natural gait. Now if your corn is
in drills there will be quite strip along
the rows that the cultivator does not
stir. III it is in hills there will still be
some. This ought to be loosened up, as
well as the ground between the rows.
The corn or potatoes would grow faster
and weeds would be kept from starting.
When | was a boy hoe was used for this
purpose. Some few use it now. 1t may
be necessary on very stony or rough
land. Some do not try to stir the ground
in the rows, but many use a weeder for
this purpose now. They are valuable
tool: YOU should have one. After field
is cultivated this first time use it, letting
the horse 60 between the rows, and hoe
two nicely as fast rs he can walk. You
can readily 90 over fifteen to twenty
acres in one day with weeder. There
are larger ones on which you can ride
and 90 over more ground in the same
time. suitable perhaps for big prairie
fields. oh, yes, it will break of spear
of corn now and then, but the probabill-
ties are that it needs thinning and will
do all the better for it. Some plant
little thinner so as to allow for this.
Then how much good it does to stir that
ground around the plants. Where pota-
toes are put in three or four inches deep
one need hardly destroy single hill
during the season. They do not break
off readily. Corn is most apt to be brok-
~ ., In n
can continue the use of the weeder until
it is foot high, or more. Do not oegin
work in the morning until the dew is all
dried off, or water from rain, II there
was any.
Now YOU have got started using culti-
vator and weeder. Just keep att, observ-
ing a few simple rules. Within five or
six days would cultivate again, and
lust as deeply as possible. Give the
horses something to do. Tear the SOIL
up to the very bottom of the plowed
furrow. Smooth of and stir around the
plants again with the weeder. Never let
a weed get up to daylight. Kill them as
the seeds sprout Thorough work now
will make it easier to keep the crop clean
later on. 1t takes time and work, but
bless YOU, you will get better paid for
the extra time than you do for half way
work. After the first ten days do not
cultivate more than about two inches
deep. Let the roots grow across between
the rows, aud they will quickly. Don't
tear them off. You will injure the crop
if you do, unless the land is very rich
and the season favorable.-T. b. Terry
in Practical Farmer.