The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-08-12

|
half mile west OF the city proper
When he took charge OF the land
some thirteen years ago II was a cold
wet sour tract, subject to overflow
and, although 1t had been cultivated
carelessly for over thirty years 1t
would not produce a good crop OF any.
thing, not excepting weeds.
Mr.. Psota says, in reply to the ques.
tions OF The News correspondent who
visited the farm:
Corn needs three most important
things: First, water; second, food:
third, air. These three elements are
the most necessary to successful corn
culture. Without them no corn can
be grown. Any man can raise corn on
alfalfa sod, but to raise II with a
profit on old. wornout wormy land
requires intelligent application of the
three foregoing cardinal principles
My average yield of corn for the first
few years was eighty.seven and one.
half bushels to the acre; this has been
materially increased in recent years.
| Heavy manuring is an essential fac.
tor, in fact, it is the principal secret,
and the manure should, If possible be
stored under cover for long time,
where 1t will generate the phosphates
so necessary for the corn. have a
she'd 16x36, filed three feet deep with
! rich, red manure, some of it twelve
years old. Last season | hauled 600
onehorse loads of this on two acres
of ground, followed by 200 loads of
sand and gravel. Manure, carelessly
laid on the surface will not of itself,
produce good results, the value being
in the amount of organic salts and
other chemical constituents, which
are dissolved and become incorporated
with the soil. Hog, horse and cattle
manure are the most valuable as the
main fertilizer. with liberal applica-
tion of chicken manure as topdress-
ing. This chicken manure acts power
fully as solvent of the chemical ele.
ments of the stable manure under
meath. The next most important
point is the circulation of air about
the roots of the corn, after 1t has at
tanned strong growth. This / ac-
complish by the use of gravel and
sand. This warns the clay soil, es-
pecially in early spring, renders it
porous, is good as drainage and
assists materially in dissolving the
constituent elements of the manure,
producing excellent plant food, rich
in phosphates and other chemicals.
During the month of October I
use one-horse cultivator of my own
invention, and find no difficulty in
plowing between the rows, thoroughly
mixing the sand soil and manure and
assisting the dissolving process.
Il do not plow the land in spring,
but make trenches eight inches deep
with the one-horse cultivator adjust,
ed for this purpose, in order to get
below the manure. This destroys the
worms and produces fine, mellow
seed-bed in which I plant the corn six
inches deep. To keep the corn awake
at night place a pinch of gun powder
at the foot of each hill. The sulphur
saltpetre and charcoal contained in
the powder find of great benefit.
"My corn is now eleven feet high
of luxurious color and the other
crops, notably cabbages, show the
same good condition. This result
attribute solely to the methods used.
Il aim to keep from three to foul
inches of manure on top of the ground
during the entire growing season; this
conserves the moisture and insures
n nj n nf In II {
early stages.
Sand and gravel should be placed
at least three feet below the surface
the deeper the better.
II cure alkali spots by digging a wei
in the center of the patch, in the win
ter time, filling 1t with horse manure
and thus forming natural drainage fo
the alkali poison, which is drawn dowl
into the well by the suction created b,
the steam and heat produced by tn,
manure"
This is an uncommonly dry season
! generally throughout the west maxim,
: the crops on this farm show out il
E marked contrast to the general rul
| of fields in this section.
MT. GSOtd is an enthusiast on IN
} producing qualities of Cunning count
land when properly treated. He is
f native of Bohemia, and has lived il
this county for the past thirty Gv
, years.
= Mr.. Psota is the inventor and pat
5 entee of a one.horse cultivator whic
: he has named the Bohemian Eagle.
This cultivator has the peculiar qua
ity of penetrating to the roots of III
: corn without injuring them, being s
| adjustable that it can be placed a
= close to the roots and as deep rs de
|. sired. 1t can be run through tn
D corn rows at any stage of growth with
out the slightest injury to the stand
ing stalks.
4 Mr.. Psota extends a standing inv
2 tation to all agriculturists and al
y others interested in the intensive Gu
. ture of our state staple corn, to visi
. the farm and allow him to explai
n his methods Of cultivation. He is fir
!. in the belief that in course of time
with innrOvad ynathodc IN uaparo1 nc,