The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-26
Agricultural Department
CONDUCTED Flu LION WHITE.

the soil has had the proper preparation
and the harrow has been used three
times after the crop is planted, before the
cultivator is used. 1T is but a work of
pleasure to finish up the work, and three
CIVILIZATIONS. ence each week, will usually
complete the work And under my pres
ent system of corn culture boy - years
old with parasol attached to a riding
cultiVator can produce more corn than
1--WE men can do following some of the
antiquated methods of corn culture.
Now in the cultivation of corn or other
crops ii is essential that we know some
thing about the growth habits of our
plants, and we should know something
also of the root development of plants,
and especially of the roots of the corn
plant. The little white roots, called feed
ers, that reach out in all directions for
plant food should never be cut off with
the cultivator. These roots form as rule
at q depth of three inches under the sur
face.
At the first cultivation the corn can be
plowed deeper than it should ever be after
for these roots are not formed when the
first cultivation should be made So when
we come to look into this root develop
ment we can readily see how cultivation
begins that we will not have to cultiva te
after the first cultivation over two and
one-half inches deep. Just dust mulch
cultivation to kill the young weeds in the
soil, not above the soil. and to conserve
moisture, is needed.
Burn Old Corn Stalks.
Where corn is to follow corn the old
stalks should be raked, hauled off and
used for filling washes or hauled off some
where and piled up out the way, where
, with other rubbish they can rot and be
| used in the compost head. Where there
| Is not time to save the stalks this way
hp h1t viii ,,f
instead of blowing them under for there
is not enough fertilizer in them to pay for
the loss and trouble they cause in cult
walton.
Counting the hills of corn the old stalks
will pull out in narrowing and cutlvat ting
as well as loss of time, and the poor job
a man will do in cultivating young corn
with the old stalks in the way, we find
that this loss is more than five times as
great as is the value of plant foods con-
tanned In the old stalks, SO that it would
be economy to get our plant foods from
some other source. There Is some ash in
the old stalks and if they are burned on
the ground and the ashes plowed under
at once there will be some plant food
derived from them OF course in this we
lose what the stalks are worth as humus,
but as stated it would be economy to
get our humus from more reliable sources
and in a more available form; some form
that would not give so much trouble and
ioss in the cultivation of the crops.
Now while | am on this subject of corn
stalks, | will give my estimate of the
value of corn fodder.
Corn Fodder.
So far as the record shows, | was the
first farmer who ever stood up before Il
convention of representative farmers in
the great corn producing state of Iowa
and there declared that | would not give
d man his board to cut and shock corn
for me. Some of the farmers present at
that meeting said in reply to my state
ment that | was not orthodox. We'll,
there is one old saying that wise men
change their minds but fools never
change
Ten years or more have passed since |
first made this statement and after
these years l am more than ever con-
WINGED and satisfied with my long ago
conclusions regards corn fodder: and
let me here explain that what / meant
| then and what / mean yet, Is the prac-
tce of cutting our crops of corn that we
are growing for grain for fodder When
| followed cutting up my fields of corn
l soon found that what fodder | got was
at the expense of the grain. That II /
waited until the grain was ripe enough
not to be damaged. the fodder was of lit
tie value. II the corn was cut In time for
the fodder to be of value the loss of grain
would more than offset the value of the
fodder. Besides this, there is the damage
to the SOIL left unshaded at an undue
time. There is the loss of grain in the
shock by mice and rats, the damage by
the weather. which often renders the fod-
der worthless or practically so. and the
very unpleasant and difficult Job of hand
ling the stuff IN feeding and getting It
turned into manure.
In the south the practice, II possible, Is
far less profitable than It is in the north
\