The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-04-01
HENDERSON. N c., THURSDAY APRIL l. 1909

two mules and harrow spent i'm put
| ing the finishing touches on a five
acre field just before the rows a..
lain off Are worth more than tbr
| days with two men and two muIe
with single cultivators after rh- corn
IS up five to ten inches high. Th
cheapest and b"-t cultivation can lyp
done with II harrow before the rows
ar. laid OFF. Work at that tim. will,
the team obvMtes the necessity uf
| much OF the hoe or hand work later
1t is the work done by man power
| thaf makes our crops costly; there
| lore to reIur'r cost cut out the hand
| and hoe work
! Give plenty OF space between rows.
| five or six and under certain cnndi-
tiOns sven feet is not ANY too much
space. This allows faster and more
satisfactory cultivation and bv hav-
ing plants close in the rows d sutfi-
Gent number will b. secured per acre
tn make good yield If the rows
are lh fDe' apart. with plant every
two feet, there will I've just as many
pi'nts as though the rows wer4. five
fee' and plants three feet apart;
while with rrdinary cultivators the
distance Travelled in cpltivating an
| acre Ia nne-i bird less with the wider
rows AS the wide rows give more
room fpr II row OF peas between the
| corn, there is an advantage there
| also.
Use horsepower planter. Our ex-
pprience leads us TO favor as near
level planting as possible. especially
on high or well-drained land. Bed
ding may be advisable under other
conditions.
| The first cultivation should be
given Immediately after planting
and before any of the plants are
through tie ground. The ordinary
smonthing harrow or drag does this
work more satisfactory than any
other implement of tillage If the
planting was nearly on a level the
harrow may run parallel with the
rows or it may cross them without
! any injury.
/ The second cultivation should
come when the plants are we'll up.
say from three to five inches high
At this time peas should be planted,
the hills alternating with the corn.
All cultivation should now be- given
for the purpOsn of conserving mois-
ture for the Use of he crop ut the
most critical period. that is when it
is forming the grain.
When the corn is foot and a half
or two feet high peas should be
I planted between the corn rows, using
an ordinary corn or pea planter for
this purpose. For the next cultiva-
tions use a cultivator that can be
run on either side of the row of peas
or that will straddle it. The peas
and corn are thus cultivated at one
and the same time. All cultivation
should cease by the time the corn is
silking and tasseling.
If properly cared for the pea crop
will be worth enough to almost cover
the entire cost of the two crops. The
soil will be left i'm much better con-
dition for another years work and
the corn will be clear of cost. The
yield will be double, the purpose as
written at the head of this article
will have been accomplished. In out
lining the system we have not advo-
Gated a single step Or process that is
not practical; not one but that has
been taken by the writer
Some years ago a piece of land
was rented out to be planted in corn
1t was worked in the ordinary one
mule manner and produced a yield of
* bushels to the acre. The follow
ing fall and winter that field was
plOwrd with two or three horse
pillow, prepared, planted and culti-
waited IA outlined, except it had 800
pounds of a 3 3 fertilizer TT plant
ing time anl 80 pounds of nitrate of
soda when the corn WAS from waist
t" shoulder high. The resulting crop
was above 22h bushels per acre.
With good ground to start with the
same treatment should and would
have made 80 to rs bushels to the