The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-04-20
HOW TO DOUBLE YOUR CORN
YIELDS.
VI.-The Early Cultivation.
BY TAFT Butler.

| coiIec'l! sldteu SO tnat IT VIII apply
to all soils and conditions; but fol tu-
nately this is not necessary. General
principles can be laid down, however.
and these are all that any thinking
farmer needs, if he is inclined to use
improved modern methods Of cuiti-
vation.
| The approved methods Cf cultiva-
ting corn have been 80 frequently de-
scribed in these columns that to
some Of our readers it may seem a
useless repetition to refer TO them
again; but the subject IS of such
great Importance and so few lr,ve
yet needed the advice OF the edi-
tors and farmer-contrlbutors who
have discussed it, that we must. again
point out the essential features of the
early cultivation of the crops.
| The most important parl Of .he
| early cultivation of corn is probably
that which should be given before
| the crop is planted. On March 2Gth
Miss, to Jackson, Miss, Il distance Of
| 70 miles. The agricultural editor is
sometimes accused of doing his farm
ing from 8. car window. and In this
instance we plead guilty to the
charge of watching veiy closely the
manner in which the laai was being
nj
things observed was the fact that
| cnly men were using three horse
| plows, and 33 were using two horse
plows, while 1S5 were preparing or
breaking the land with one-horse
plows. Here were 221 men plowing
$50 horses and mules when one-half
the number, with the same horses
and mules, could have done more
work. But that is not the point we
wish to stress: The loss Of labor is
lamentable, but the worst feature
| of a system of farming which wastes
so much human labor is that the
work is not we'll done. Wherever the
was such plain evidence Of better
preparation that any one would rec
ognlze it at a glance.
If a profitable crop is produced on
more than Is per cent. of the lands
in preparation it will not be because
Of proper preparation, but in spite
Of ho
preparation. Half the cultivation Of
the corn crop should be given before
the seed are planted. 1t is easier and
cheaper to cultivate the land before
the plants come up and get in the
way Of the best pulverizing imple-
ments. The great fault in our prep
aration Of the land, or in what may
correctly be termed the early culti-
vation, is lack of proper pulveriza-
ton. This is not now done, nor will
it ever be with the one-horse plow,
without the use Of the large smooth
ing harrow, or other pulverizing i'm
plements.
1t is useless folly to state we can
not get the work stock to pull the
implements necessary properly to
pulverize the soil before planting.
We must get them. we can get them,
and we will get them when the land
owners take sufficient interest in the
farming Of their lands to give the
matter their attention. We would
have them now if the tillers of the
soil believed them necessary. Each
years failure of the crops will con
vince a larger number Of the abso-
lutte need of more work stock in or
der that the land may be better pre-
pared.
What has the preparation of the
land to do with the proper early cul-
tlVatlon of the corn crop? Every
thing! The early cultivation can
never be effective or economical when
the land has not been thoroughly
pulverized. Clods can not be broken
| as easily nor grass as thoroughly
| killed after the crop has been plant
ed
After the crop has been planted
| the smoothing harrow should be run
as often as is necessary to keep the
| top of the ground broken and to kill
all grass and weeds just as they are
coming through the ground. This IS
| have neither large roots nor leaves
with which to supply themselves
with food and moisture. The crop
can be narrowed twice before it
comes up and twice afterward with
the same expense that it can be cul-