Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1912-05-30
PREPARATION AND
CULTIVATION OF CROPS
jackson. Tenn, MAY 10, 1919


determines to a very large degree,
whether the final yield will be large
or small, is a thoroughly prepared seed
bed. A we'll prepared seed bed is re-
quired in order that plenty of mois-
ture and plant food may be maintain
ed for the crop.
Plants send their roots to a much
greater depth when u~nobstructed, and
attain much greater length than it is
sometimes thought. Unless the soil be
broken deeply, the roots are prevented
from penetrating as deeply as they
need to go in search of moisture and
food. While we have an abundance of
rain at present, we are apt to see our
cornields willing for the want of wa
ter before the close of summer. The
farmer who prepares his seed bed we'll
and pulverizes every clod the size of a
grain of cornG will be the one whose
corn will stand the droughts best and
will make the largest yield.
The land should be double disced be-
fore breaking, so as to cut up the
stalks and weed growth. If the land
be turned without the disc ahead of
it, it is usually broken up in more or
less Jumps or clods. If the top soil
with the vegetable growth is turned
next to the subsoil, the moisture is
prevented from rising and when
droughts are on the crop is damaged.
The dead weeds, grass and old corn
stalks, etc, interfere with the up
ward movement of water when turned
under this way. If cut up, the soil
pulverized before breaking, and then
turned under, the upward movement
of moisture will not be retarded,
but the partially decaye1 material
will act as IN absorbent to hold
the moisture. The land should be
broken broadcast. Follow the double
discing with a two horse plow, set to
cut a narrow furrow SO as to edge the
soil and break several inches deeper
than the land has ever been broken.
Follow Immediately with the disc and
smoothing harrow and pulverize the
soil before clods have had time to
foim. Keep narrowing until every
clod has been broken.
In case it is desired to plant Of a
slightly elevated bed, these can be
made with the disc cultivator. High
sharp ridges are undesirable. Rolling
lands are apt to wash when planted
fiat and where this is the case, low,
fiat beds can be made. Sometimes
low, wet lands had best be planted on
a rather high bed. but on well drained
lands only a low broad bed should be
made or planting on the level may be
done where washing is most likely to
occur.
Farmers who do not have the disc
harrow or the disc cultivator, car do
pretty fair preparation by broadcast
ing the land with an ordinary turning
pillow, taking care to run a close fur
row to edge the soil and to permit
their teams drawing the plows some
deeper. This should be followed with
the smoothing harrow soon after the
breaking to pulverize the clods before
they dry out and become hard.
1t is not advisable to subsoil while
the ground is wet. To tear up the sub
soil with a subsoiler, or a bull tongue
while the subsoil is very wet, puddles
the sticky clay underneath the top soil
which tends to destroy the upward
movement of water that is so much
needed during d%rOughts.
Corn should be cultivated as soon as
kill out the weeds and grass before
they have made any Roadway. 1t is
the practice Of too many farmers to let
their corr stand sometime after plant
ing before beginning the cultivation.
The best time to kill weeds and grass
is as soon as they are up, or even
sprouting to come up. This can be
done rapidly, efficiently, and economi-
with the ordinary double or spik-
ed tooth adjustable section harrow,
with the teeth set at a backward angle
and run diagonally across the rows at
an angle of 25 degrees. A few days
later. run the harrow ~diagonally
the rows the other way.
Where a section harrow cannot be
had a side harrow, spring tooth Guilt
vator, or an orchard harrow may be
used il the early cultivation of corn.
The orchard harrow, or the top bar
row as it is sometimes called, may be
run by removing the middle tooth and
right down the drill. Some
use the scraper in c%ultivating
their crops the first time. By using
the implements mentioned above and
BY beginning soon after the corn is up
it will not be necessary to use the
at all. We do not like the
work of the scraper, and besides it is
harder to pull than the ~cultivators and
not do as good work.
When the corn is from four to six
inches high. the entire space between
The rows should be thoroughly stirred
with the diamond pointed shovels of a
cultivator OF with a double
shovel pillow. Some practice the plan