The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1910-04-21
FARM NOTES
THE CORN CROP.

|
of corn is one of the essentials of good
farming.
I he southern farmer should grow
enc 81. corn for every possible need on the
Tarm. The reasons for this are plain.
| 1t has been demonstrated thoroughly
that with proper preparation and cult
walton he can grow as much per acre
as the farmer in the best corn-growing
sections. AT prevailing prices it is cheaper
to grow it than to buy it, even with II
and Is cent cotton. The best farming
requires systematic rotation of crops on
all lands Corn is standard crop and
is especially valuable from the fact that
we not only get corn crop, but can grow
with it heavy crop of peas, which will
give liberal supply of nitrogen and
humus, two of the most valuable things
in building up soils.
Corn is a tropical plant, and ali other
things equal it should thrive better in the
southern than in the northern states.
This, however, is not the case. Wha,
is the reason? The main cause is the
lack of suitable seed beds in the south.
Experiments have shown that, while it
sends many of its roots or feet deep,
the corn plant places the great body of
It's feeding roots from to II inches below
the surface where the soil is made loose
enough by blowing or by frost to permit
it. The roots send out in every direction
an infinite number of hairlike growths,
which absorb moisture and food On
soils prepared and in sections Of fair rain
fall the feeding ground for corn is usually
| G-1y LII ~.
This is strictly true in the great corn
belt CT the northwest. In the south there
has been too much shallow blowing
| Breaking or 4 inches is not deep enough
to make suitable feeding place for corn
roots; on average land it furnishes neither
sufficient fcor nor sufficient Moisture for
the plant to do its best The trouble
with shallow seed bed is that it IS too
wet under heavy rainfall and too dry
in periods of drought A long advance
will be made toward increasing the aver
age yield hvefold if the following sug-
gestions are carried out:
I. Make deep seed bed, suited to the
requirements of the corn plant
D. Fill this seed bed with vegetable
matter and give it good drainage.
8, Use the estseed.
4. Practice intense cultivation.
The disk pillow, the adjustable section
harrow, and the weeder are valuable aids
in producing the corn crop.
THE COWPBA CROP.
The cowpea is part of the corr
problem in the south, and the plan gener-
ally adopted of broadcasting half bushe
to bushel of seed to the acre at the time
of the last working of the corn and cult
waiting it has given good results.
The corn should be gathered as early
as practicable and the stock turned in
ortunate is the man who has tight fencing
so that the pigs, as well as the work stock
and cattle, can have a chance at the
cowpeas. On some of the poorer lands
the corn rows may be made feet apart
and row of peanuts planted between
them; this will add to the value of the
fall pasture when no cowpeas are planted
AS soon as the crop of cowpeas has been
fairly we'll grazed, break deep, setting
the burrows on edge; harrow, sow to oats,
yetch, winter barley, or rye, and turn this
under in the spring. This plan will eco
nomically improve the soil and greatly
increase the average crop production.
Where the season is too short to success
fully carry out the foregoing plan it has
been found that planting vetch and rye
or crimson clover in the corn and turning
them under in the spring rapidly builds
up the soil and is much more economical
than the use of large quantities of CONNER
cial fertilizers The general object is to
keep the land occupied summer and Writer
producing something of value for food or
fertilizer and at the same time protecting
the loose soils from washing or teaching
by the heavy rains of winter and spring.
| TOOLS AND IMPLEMENTS REOUIR-
ED.
High-priced labor and generally changed
conditions make it imperative that more
and better farm implements be used on ev-
y farm, whether large or small in area
No man can farm now without at least
a good breaking or turning plow Ga re-
versible disk is preferable), a disk har-
row, a section harrow, a good combination
planter, q weeder, and one single-row and
one double-row cultivator. The above are
essential, and if the size of the farm and
the means of the farmer will allow it,
many other convenient labor-saving tools
can be added. A good mower and rake
for handling the hay are very necessary.
MORE HORSE POWER NECESSARY.
To use more horse power and less man
power per acre or to quit farming is a
necessity confronting the south.
| There should be more mares on the farm.
In the future few small farmers. will
find it profitable to keep mules; the colts
must pay for the expense of using more
horse power. In this connection the more
economical feeding of work stock on the
farm is of primary Importance. Feeding
ia horse or a mule on pulled corn fodder
and corn is so expensive and out of date
that it is surprising to find anyone doing
it Farmers have fully proved that pas
| ture wor summer and well-cured hay for
/ winter should be the main reliance. By q
! =