The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-25
CORN GROWING.

The well known Indian corn, or maize.
long cultivated throughout many warm
and temperate regions, Is supposed to
be a native of North America, but IS not
known in a wild state. 1t is tall
plant with unbranched, robust STEMS
large light green blades or leaves,
handsome long stalked terminal paniele,
known as the tassel, and very thick fer
tile spikes from the husks which pro-
ject green slender styles known as the
silk The fruit is a hard, round earyop-
sis known as the kernel, partly inelosed
by the chaffy remains of the four glumes
and broad pallet, the kernels ana the
rachis or the cob, forming the spike or
ear of corn.
The seed furnish an invaluable food to
man and to domestic animals. The stalks
and leaves are used for fodder and the
husks are much used for filling mat
tresses and horse collars and for making
door mats. A course fabric. also, and
paper Of excellent quality have been eN-
perimentally made from them. The cob
and sometimes the whole ear Is used
for fuel The chief value of course, lies
In the kernel
1t appears i'm the market In the ear or
shelled 1t is a highly nutritious food
starchy matter lGedoIninating. As human
food it Is used in various forms There
are many varieties Of bread hasty pnd-
ding. hominy. corn starch, etc. The I'M
ature kernels, or green corn, boiled form
an excellent vegetable, and in this state
maize is largely preserved by canning.
OF late years Indian corn has been ex-
tensiVely manufactured into glucose. 1t
is also largely used for fattening cattle,
and swine as well as horses. An enor-
nous amount is consumed in the manu-
facture of spirits; it is the principal
grain distilled In the United States.
Indian corn was found In cultivation
over "A great part of America ON its dis
covery and was rapidly ditfused through
out the world wherever the climate was
suita BILE to 1t. Indian corn is said to FUR
nish more food to the human family than
any other grain except rice. The demand
for these food products from the corn
is constantly on the increase both In our
own country and abroad The people OF
Mexico, as well as those of our own
states. are great consumers of corn foods
and there Is a demand from Mexico for
these foods.
In view of these growing demands IT
has been deemed necessary that we en-
courage as far as we are able the grow
ing of more and better corn and to do
what we can to assist our farmers TO
grow and keep up our corn to higher
standard TO encourage the growing OF
more and better corn, not only to en-
courage a larger acreage but TO also IN
crease the yield and quality on the acre
age now used in production, is the object
of this article.
Wonderful improvements have been
made by the cultivation and selection OF
seed corn From the little hard squaw
corn found In America among the In
dams. science and cultivation have de-
veloped the great ears of corn we now
see in all the markets. While this Is
true, yet our corn has not reached It's
highest state of perfection, and besides
this i'm many sections farmers are allow
ing their corn to deteriorate, allowing 1t
to run down in both quality and quanti-
ty. Surely the ever increasing demand
and the now almost unifCNm high price
for our corn should be an incentive to
our farmers to improve their soils and
seed. SO as to produce the very highest
yields possible. Remember that as we
increase the yield we increase the quail
ity.
Soil and Soil Preparation.
As has been shown, corn has been
introduced over very large scope of
country Now corn is very similar to
wheat In the matter of accommodating
itself to a great variety of soils, so that
we have said in former chapters ON soils
for wheat will apply equally as well for
corn. Having selected soil for corn
the next thing in order will or should be
to set to work to prepare this so as to
have 1t produce best results. Break the
soil deep, pulverize it fine, put In suf-
ficient amount of fertilizer and cultivate
well. The greater part Of the cultiva-
ton of corn crop should be soil prepa-
ration and cultivation before the crop
is planted. When the soil has been
thus well prepared the after cultivation
will be an easy and inexpensive job
All that has been said in previous chap
ters on clearing the soil of stones.
stumps. thorns and brush drainage and
the careful selection of seed will apply
as well to corn.
The soil cultivation before planting
should always be such that only shallow
cultivation may be needed after the crop
is planted The harrow, a good up to
date steel harrow. is a fine implement
q. Ii, H. tinha of of