Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1905-05-16
Sweet Corn for Canneries.
HOW To MAKE 1T PROFITABLE CROP

The raising of sweet corn for the can
ming factory is so old an industry tha
nearly every farmer has become a pas
master at the business, or at least hai
his own ideas how to raise the best crop
on his farm. Yet judging from thu
questions have received regarding tn,
sweet corn crop on Morey Farm las
year, since the article of Hon. B. NJ
Fernald appeared in the Farmer. Judge
there are beginners at the business anC
perhaps others who are looking for bet
ter methods.
There are certain things that each
farmer has to learn for himself, because
farms vary in the elements of plant food
and in moisture. SO what might be the
best method on our farm might not
prove at all satisfactory to some other
farmer. The matter of deep or shallow
blowing. piowing under dressing or har-
rowing in after plowing, fall or spring
plowing, etc, depends so much on the
farm and the season that it is impossible
To lay down any rigid rule. Ii land is
not too wet and has a hard subsOil to
prevent teaching, think it good plan
To plOw under a moderate amount of
dressing, then apply another coat on top
and work in with the harrow. would
not do this, however, il were fall plow-
ing In such case it is better to plow,
apply the dressing and work in with the
harrow, or the ground may be plowed
and the dressing spread ON after the
ground is frozen or even after snow has
g.. tb Ia all
Now there are few iron rules that
ought To be considered as such by every
sweet corn grower. First, see thai
every foot of ground is properly plOwed ;
the old adage of ''haste makes waste, "
is especially true of the preparation of
the land for crop of corn. After plow-
ing and applying your dressing harrow
it thoroughly, lengthways, crosswa, $ and
diagonally; then, for fear there is spot
not quite mellow enough, harrow again.
The more il is narrowed the richer be-
comes the soil, for it liberates SO much
more plant food from old Mother Earth
who is rich in these properties but stub
born in giving them up. The young
corn roots, also, appreciate mellow
seed bed by pushing out rapidly in
every direction. The time was when
farmers narrowed simply to make il
easier hOeing, but We have learned that
that is the last argument to us for good
narrowing.
The land is now ready for the seed.
BE sure you know beforehand whether
your seed is good. Much valuable time
and money has been lost by planting
poor seed. IL you are sure Of your seed
and the weather is right much time can
be saved in thinning the corn, if the
planter can be governed To drop about
the number of kernels you wish to grow.
This, however, we find hard to do and
often have to put in more seed in some
hills TO get enough in others; for, of
course, We want To be sure of a full
stand, We have our rows three feet
apart and hills eighteen inches apart in
the row, and | believe three spears of
corn to each hill sufficient. Too much
attention cannot be paid To this thin
ming, if it is corn and money you are
after, rs too thick stand makes small,
unsatisfactory ears.
The next important thing is cultiva-
ton, and it is perhaps the most impor-
tant of all. | recently saw an article
written by friend of mine recommend
ing the use of the hand hoe as means
of cultivation. That is all right if my
friend is in love with the hoe. | am
not, and il should give piece of corn
anything like the amount of cultivation
| think necessary with hoe or even
attempt TO go over the piece with a
hoe every time il was cultivated am
afraid the profit on the corn and my
disposition would suffer alike.
We go over the corn to thin it, that is
all; the rest is done by the horses and
teamsters. When the corn first pricks
through the ground We go over it with
the weeder If free from stones and
stubbles we go over again few days
later. After that We put the two-horse
cultivator into it. We use Kraus
pivot-axle cultivator and with the
shields We can cultivate close to small
corn without covering it. / have no
interest in selling the Kraus cultivator,
but will say to my brother farmers right
here that it is the most perfect working
cultivator have ever seen.
We keep the cultivator running most
OI INC Juc COiu IL oNCi q ioot
tall. Do not run it deep but keep 2 or 3
inches of the top light and mellow.
This acts as mulch or blanket to draw
up moisture from below To the corn
roots for there is not half rain fall
enough in season to furnish the corn
plant what it has to have to drink. If
the cultivator is run too deep it will in-
lure the corn roots and hurt the crop.
AT picking time employ careful pick
ers who will not leave their wages be-
hind them and do not let the factory
order in your corn until it is ready to
pick. Ii should be full and plump and
of sufficient substance to show full,
plump kernels after an ear has been
boiled.
One inquirer asked if a profitable crop
of sweet corn could be raised on phos-
phate alone. With good soil, good seed
and good cultivation, would say yes,
but of course to properly fertilize piece
of land with commercial fertilizer re-
quires quite an outlay in money and if
anything happens to the crop it leaves
the farmer considerably out of pocket.
We are using only about 800 lbs. of
chemicals of our own mixiag per acre as
starter and rely on our stable dressing
to carry the crop TO maturity.-Herbert
NJ. Tucker 10 Maine Farmer.