The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-09-03
Method Must Be An
piled to Do This
Last Two Years in n. c. the Dry >..-
son Surpassed Others; Re4nei, a,
Hand Say Agricultural Department
Officials.

(By Agronomist j. L.. BURGESS Of
the n. {. Department of Asricul-
ture.)
The summers Of 1911 and 1912 hav.
been extremely hard on the North
carolina farmers, especially those who
live in the Piedmont section. This
part Of the State has its corn crop
cut short by the drouth nearly everv
year, but the last two years have been
especially severe. In this section Of
the State there positively must be
some method found by which corn
may be grown in spite OF this i~nevita-
Bile midsummer drouth.
We feel hat this method Ct corn
growing, in spite Of the drouth. has
been discovered and that it only
awaits careful, diligent application in
order to bring success The method
contains but four fundamental fac
tors. These r deep blowing. which
enables the soil to take up large
amounts Of moisture in the winter
and early spring.
Second. The incorporation u
organic matter in large This
organic matter may be stable manure
or green manure. cut fine with Il disc
narrow before being plowed under
and thoroughly incorporated with the
soil with h disc afterwards. This
addition Of organic matter is a power
tul aid in retaining the moisture alb
sorbed by the deeply ploWed soil.
holding it until the season is well ad-
vanced, even though the drouth NAV
set in early.
Third. Deep planting. 1t is very
essential that the farmers in this Gee
ton of the State plant their corn deep
below the surface, but, Of course,
cover II shallow. Last spring a num-
Der OF farmers carried out every es-
sentlal detail for the production IL
a good corn crop with the exception
or planting the corn deeply. The
ground was moist until the middle Of
May. This shallow planted corn de-
veloped its root system only on SUR
race where moisture conditions were
just right. These moisture condi-
tons remained just right until the
last OF May or first Of June, when,
in many cases, the corn plant was
booting for tassel. At this stage Of
the growth Of the plant the root sys-
TEN has nearly completed its develop
ment, and from this time on little
extension Of the corn roots may be
expected as it's energies are thence
forth occupied IN producing the ear.
Moisture conditions being optimum up
OAASA AA1o pCilOu Ol tHe CROWN tl
the plant, the great bulk Of the roots
were formed and remained in the
first four inches Of the soil. Eow.
the annual drouth set in. In many
cases shallow cultivation was etCed
faithfully, and it seemed that every
thing was done t. offset the effect.
of the drouth but in vain. The first
SIX inches Of soil gradually dried up.
thus leaving the corr plants stand
ing high and dry in a bed Of dust or
dry dirt.
Now. had the corn been planted
five or six or even seven inches be
low the surface Of the soil and COW
cred shallow, the direful effects OF
the drouth would hav been, 70 a
great extent. eliminated. The root
system would have started deep in
the ground and in contact with more
lasting moisture conditions which
would ave aided immensely in com
batting the drouth.
To sum up, deep blowing. the in
corporation Of large amounts Of some
cheap form Of organic matter. pre-
ferably green manure, deep planting
and cultivation. which must be fire.
quent, shallow and late, will SO far
as moisture conditions are concerned
produce a crop Of corn in the fa-t
OF any drOuth that has ever come II
North Carolina
We do not pretend that the above
or any other method will entirely Of.
set the effects OF an unusually dry
season, but we do know that this /
the best method so far discovered fol
growing a fair crop Of corn durins
the dryest season North Carolina ha
ever known.
A complete discussion Of this Sub
T 1ect may be had from Bulletin 10
16e, entitled Corn Culture in Eortl
Carolina" which may be radon ap
plication to the State Department 0
Agriculture. Raleigh, n. G.
: J. l.. BURGESS.