The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-19

 so supreme may be the need to kill the may occasionally be justiaabie, though ceFn TRe tendency csse on ss % sols is ridge the land too much in laying by corn. Even on impervious soils 1t should be the endeayor to lay by corn ticable which in the case of corn plant ed on beds simply means to leave the ridges low. if practicable ting them off from the water furrow, from which most of the soil has been about the roots. Left thus ridged, the e land dries more rapidly because of the increased surface and the neaped-up ground for root growth until moist rapid drying of water furrows swept Hae Uss Of tse nesry so S oGne m Ss iS s wae es furrow or the preNence of too thin a mulch in the Swatsf furrow to retain ar,sss rn,sy whether neas nn, this latter dif attached by wires or flexible springs water furrow a few inches in rear of the sweep. Such a dust board twenty eight to thirty-six inches long. made on cioddy iand ought s neassh think esas to aad a place in prairie land farming as a means of partially undoing the work of the large ,o double sweep. pulling ing water furrow. Even if 1t should prove on very cloddy land ineffective in pull verifying the fresh clods, its use would accomplished. On sandy or loamy soils the dust board has been found an eff fective means of breaking up the spall Jumps of soil before they dry. thus | preventing the formation of small clods. The leveling effect can of course be secured by making one trip per row after the use of the sweep; but where farm work is already behind we can scarcely expect this extra work to be given.
 I am convinced that there is distinct loss in laying by corn as early as Is customary with some farmers. l can not approve some farmers rule to lay peared. regardless of weather conditions By giving shallow culture l have often found 1t advantageous to cultivate appearance of silks and ears will not prohibit cultivation if care is taken 10 make the implement run shallow, and if the occurrence of a heavy rain after the cultivation originally intend ed as final threatens to result in crust ing the soil. I have found an extra cultivation, shallow and given late to be helpful when a crust was forming and when there was need to conserve the moisture from a late rain. I would not minimize the injury that would result if this late culture were deep, especially if succeeded by dry. hot
 In laying by corn it should be the ffhiss skas been done at a previous cui- tivafion. A question that I have just had to settle is whether to sow cow peas while the land is too dry, for them them and clean and not in need of cultiva- ton. or to defer the sowing until after rain, when cultivation will save the moisture and cover the cowpeas, but unless very shallow. injure the roots. My decision has been to wait, since there are clouds. and other prospects of rain. But unless rain occurs in a few days I shall risk seed in the dry
 It should be added that in the fields cided cowpeas were. planted between the hills of corn when the corn was about three feet high and that these have made good growth. But we can the danger is slight when the sowing is made late after. corn is we'll grown.
 l prefer to SOW broadcast at the last cultivation or in drills at the next to the last cultivation.
 In drilling cowpeas among corn planted in wide rows we usually place a drill of cowpeas in the level water furrow midway between the corn rows. Sometimes this Is supplemented by row of cowpeas close to the corn on one side and at other times by eowpeas in hills between the corn plants and in line with them. In this hill planting 1t is slow work for one hand to open then cover. Possibly some economy would result from having one hand to drop the seed for two hoe hands, on adjacent rows. Others drop seed on the soft dirt and cover by pressing on the seed with the heel. The most satisfactory method thnt I have tried is to plant the seed with a rotary hand planter which s also useful in replant- ing corn. Its cost Is only about a dol lar.
 Not only is judicious late cultivation useful to the present crop but it Is also helpful to the future crop in so far as it leaves the land at the end of the sea- son cleaner of weeds than if the corn were laid by early.