The Forrest City times., 1905-02-17
ERSiFicATiON.
Raising Corn and Cow Peas In the
 South

corn and COW peas are two of the most valuable food crops for stock in gen. eral use by southern farmers. Their hardy character, vigorous growth and wide adaptation to climates and soils place them in the first rank of plants for general farm use, writes s. A. Knapp.
 In the improved system of agricul- ture which the South must adopt to meet boil weeyil conditions. corn and COW peas must occupy a more impor- tant position than in any previous period, because soil conditions must be improved to successfully make good cotton crops, and this can best be accomplished by the alternate planting to corn and COW peas and to cotton.
 The soil should be prepared for the corn crop the same as for cotton by deeper fall blowing tor breaking) of the land and winter cultivation. Breaking for corn ought to be eight inches deep, but where the previous breaking has only been three or four inches, it will not do to go down to eight inches at once, hence it will be advisable in such cases to break only about six or seven inches, so as not to stir up too much crude soil but reach depth of eight inches or more as soon as practicable.
 The winter cultivation referred to is simply narrowing or discing the land at intervals of twenty to thirty days, so as to put it in the best of condition 1 for planting.
 Plant early as the season will per rAit, in rows six feet apart on rich land, and five feet apart on hill lands and worn bench, bottom or prairie lands.
 Where corn is planted five and six feet apart in rows, 1t will bear a little crowding in the row. It may be sin gle stalks once in ten to twelve ilsches, according to the fertility of the land, or it may stand two stalks in place once in twenty to twenty four inches; the single stalk is pref erable.
 The wide rows allows the sunshine to penetrate to the soil and gives Q better ear than where the planting is done in narrow rows.
 Seed Corn.
 In the selection of seed corn, better results in bushels will be reached by selecting promising varieties, grown not more than 200 miles north of the field to be planted.
 Promising varieties grown in the immediate neighborhood, if they have been carefully selected, will undoubt. edly give the most satisfactory re suits. The objection to corn grown in the immediate vicinity is that it has not, as a rule, been selected with care. and hence it is almost impossible to get pure bred corn except from some seedsmen who has taken unusual pains to keep it pure.
 The ears should be of medium length, with kernels deep and firm and well filled at the end, and with small cob Above all, it should be housed, and not taken at random from a crib.
 In planting reject the irregular ker nels at each end, and use plenty of seed
 Fertilizers.
 The use of a small amount of ferti izer on corn land until the soil can be improved and filled with COW peas is of great importance to the planter The continued use of fertilizers year after year is not specially recommend ed, but at the commencement in order to stimulate the corn and the COW peas, it is necessary if the best re- suits are expected.
 On light soils and uplands that have been considerably worn, use 400 pounds of fertilizer per acre, com pounded as follows: 160 pounds of 14 per cent acid phosphate, containing per cent of potash and 240 pounds of cotton seed meal, thoroughly mixed Distribute in the rows where the corn is to be planted two to three weeks before planting. and follow with the cultivator to mix the fertilizer with the soil
 On rich prairie or bottom lands use only one pound of cotton seed meal to three pounds of phosphoric acid and potash. applying only 200 pounds of the mixture per acre.
 In general reduce the proportion of cotton seed meal used in the mixture and the total amount of fertilizer ap- piled per acre as the fertility of the soil increases.
 As soon as the corn is up, use the harrow then cultivate once in ten days till the corn is too large. The first cultivation may be deep-all lat CT cultivations should be shallow.
 Many use only the blow in culti- vation It is not the best implement, but will answer a good purpose if thoroughly used.
 More depends upon the thorough use of an implement than upon the