The commonwealth., 1904-11-26
FARMER AND PLANTER.
NEXT YEARS CORN CROP.
BY Jadieious Foresirht IN. y,s,a
OF Next Years Corn Crop May
be Materially Increased.

| WIN no crop grown on the farm la
taking time by the forelock more i'm
portant than with the corn crop. We
nave time and again said that in all
the experiments We have made we
could never make it profitable to use q
nlgh grade complete commercial fertii-
lzer on the corn crop. OF course, we
can through the use of such fertiliz-
er greatly increase the crop of corn.
But If a test plot, without fertilizer, is
planted for comparison ii will usually
be found that the increased crop has
hardly paid for the fertilizer used. The
best preparation for the corn crop Ia
legume crop grown the previous sea-
| son, either clover or COW peas. II
these have been literally dressed with
acid phosphate and potash and a
strong growth made, you viii have the
best possible place to prepare for the
corn crop the following season. Either
the peas or the clover will have left In
the ground large amount of nitrogen
in the form of organic matter that will
soon become available to the crop 1t
Is the costly nitrogen in the complete
fertilizer that makes its use on the
corn crop lottery, and II you can get
| the nitrogen more cheaply 1t will pay
| you to use the mineral elements phos-
| phoric acid and potash literally. The
chief manurial needs of the corn crop
are for nitrogen and potash, for the
nitrogen forms the strong stalk and
the potash is largely concerned in the
formation of the starch that is such an
important part of the corn grain,
while sufficient amount Of phosphoric
acid will assist In the transfer of
starch in the plant. There is no crop
grown on the farm where the home
| made manure from the stables, BARN
yard and hen house can be more profit
ably applied and nowhere will it tend
more towards the permanent improve
ment of the soil and the production Of
the succeeding crops. Having pea
stuble, 1t will be well to start in No
yember and plow and subsoil the land,
for the deepening of tho soil can be
better done while the subsoil is COM
paratively dry than in the spring.
Therefore break the corn land as deep
ly as the soil will admit in November
and run either regular subsoil plow
or In its absence bull tongue in the
bottom of each furrow to loosen the
subsoil. Then SOW and harrow in a
bushel or more of rye per acre as a
winter cover to prevent the loss of nj
trates during the winter. by having
green growing plants TO take it up.
Now, whenever it is practicable to
haul on the land during the winter, get
out all the manure as fast as made and
spread 1t broadcast on the rye. This
will give you a denser growth OF the
rye and still more organic matter to
supply nitrogen the next summer in
its decay. Late in March plow the rye
and manure under together, and pre-
pare the land for corn. For fertiliz-
or for the corn mix 1900 pounds OF
acid phosphate and 200 pounds Of
muriate of potash and of this mixture
use 400 pounds per acre in the furrow
under the corn and 200 pounds per
acre broadcast. Then when the corn
starts to grow 1t will have food right
at hand, and when its roots spread far
and wide it will still find food in
abundance and the amount Of organic
matter plowed under the pea roots or
clover, and the manure and the rye
will create conditions In the soil that
will retain the moisture and prevent
damage from drought. Then after the
deep preparation and liberal fertiliza-
tion of the land, do not go to work
with big pows and turn the soil up be-
tween the rows and bank it to the
corn to dry out, but let the first work
ing be done with the smoothing har-
row and weeder and let the cultivator
run shallow and often, keeping the
soil as level as possible to enable II TO
retain the moisture and supply it to
the roots of the plants. The decaying
organic matter will not only furnish |
all the nitrogen needed by the corn,
but will, as we have said, keep the
moisture to the roots and the corn Will
have an abundance to dissolve to the |
plant food and to keep it flourishing |
in the driest time. Then SOW peas |
again between the rows at last work |
ing. and when the corn is well glazed,
cut it off at the ground and cure IN |
shocks. NOV the peas, II heavy, and
preuare the land for winter wheat or
oats with the disk alone, Then the
manuring and fertilization Will tell on
the wheat crop and there will still be
nitrogen enough so that the wheat
will need only 300 pounds per acre OF
the same mixture of acid phosphate
and notash. On the shock rows in the
spring you can SOW oats and then fol-
low all with peas for the cotton crop
~ IN the cotton country, or for tobac-
co In the tobacco section, moving tne
peas for hay Of course, as the great
means for making more home manure
Or the peas may be mown and the
stubble again disked finely and soWn
again to wheat and that seeded to
clover or followed by peas In prepara
tion for another corn crop. All OF
which means that through the liberal
use of the mineral elements OF plant
food. aided by the legume crops we
CON rapidly increase the humus con-
tent in our soil, and be able to use the
fertilizers with greater profit in I'D
eral manner, because of the moisture
retained in the soil to dissolve them
Now then. this fall is the time 10 De-