The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1909-05-06
A Profitable Corn Field.

Two hundred and thirtyIthTee BUSH
els of corn from four acres in a singh
crop is not anything to boast of;yet,
to say the least of it, one DIS due
some credit when this yield was made
ON land that eight years ago only
made 81 bushels per acre, and that
considered an excellent yield for the
land. To one is due more credit
when this increase has BEEN made
without any commercial or home-mad
fertilizer being applied to the land
from the time the yield was 124
bushels on four acres until the pres
emit This splendid increase has bee
produced by subsoiling the land three
times during the period of eight
years; the last subsoiling was done
for corn crop that made 223 bushels
This subsoiling reached the depth of
Is inches.
We also followed rotation of
CORN with cowpeas sown alone at
last blowing at the rate of l IL BUSH
els per acre, or with ten pounds of
crimson clover and one buShel of
COW peas per acre at the last blowing
of corn. Corn followed by cottOn,
crimson clover in cotton land, fifteen
pounds to the acre at last blowing, or
rye at close of cotton harvest. Cot
ton followed by second crop Irish
potatoes with cowpeas sown i'm spring
preceding potato planting in August;
after potato harvest crimson clover
at the rate of Is to 20 pounds per
acre. This is the rotation followed
that brought about the increase i'm
yield. OF course the subscribing must
receive a large part of the credit.
In preparing the land for corn a
heavy crop of crimson clover was
turned and land SUBSIDIZED to eighteen
inches. This was done in April. In
| May, land was cut twice with twenty
inch disc harrow, narrowed several
times with smoothing harrow and
planted to corn on May 18th The
corn was dropped in drills 8 >12 feet
| in drill. The seed was our own i'm
proved that had been carefully select
ed from the fields of growing corn the
preceding year. Before corn was III
a smoothing harrow was rum twice
over the field. This greatly increases
the Per cent of stand, also destroyed
most all terminating grass seed
|
waiting corn before we could see it
This we consider the best cultivation
] the corn received The corn came III
as near perfect stand as / ever saw
/ We began cultivation with weedec
while the corn was only three o.
four inches high This cultivation
was continued twice a week until thu
corn was over two feet i'm height
J With the weeder we are able to cul
ti9ate from 10 to IL acres daily
After the weedeT cultivation ceaSes
we used small slovelS on. two horst
cultivatcr, going very shallow ans
| leaving the surface almost level. w.
cultivated as soon as the land wouat
! permit after rains, as a crust ailoWe<
to form and remain any length OF
time would have diminished cur corr
yield. We continued using the Guilt
vatcr until corn was too large, ann
then substituted one hcr1e harrow
set very shallow, running one am
two burrows to the middle. This wa
lcoEatinssed Until the corn was edlking
when it was Haid by ami one .bushe
of cowpeas were sown to the acre.
j This method gave us the yield O
223 bushels OF shelledi corn from fon
acres. We must have ESQ bushel
when the rotation brings the land t.
corn again, and that will be mex
year. Can we get it? What abou
1t Professor Massey?
\ We also picked seventy bushe
CT peas from the above sowing, whacl
were sold at $l75 per baEshel.
wv. c. Crook, Henderson Co., TeGm-