Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1914-06-10
FARMESR URGED TO
P[0W CORN AGAIN
Farm Demonstration Agent Urges
That Cotton Be Left Long Enough
to Thoroughly Plow Corn.

One OF the most serious propositions
! this demonstration agent has had 10
contend with recently is TO get many
farmers TO leave their cotton fields
long enough to give their corn a fresh
blowing after the heavy rains. Many
OF them had what they called "laid
by" their corn before the last big
rains came. Some OF them put such
high ridges to II that Il was almost
impossible to replow II TO do any good.
Others who laid It by fiat say that
II Is either TO lose the cotton or make
less corn, and they had rather make
less corn from the fact they need the
money that the cotton will bring. Now
since this Is the position being taken
by many OF our farmers. and for one
| think II a very serious matter and
one that should directly concern every
man that is making his living out OF
the farm. | take II that every man
wants TO. at least be honest with
himself and family. This being the
case. he OF course wants to do the
very best thing possible to make his
work count for the most during the
cultivation OF his growing and matur-
ing crops. So | ask every honest
farmer to let us reason together Just
little while on this corn and cotton
proposition. | do not believe that
there Is a farmer In Brazos County
with any sort OF experience but that
will say to pillow corn just before or
about the time 1t begins TO bunch and
tassle and let II come a hard rain
on II Just as you get II plowed, that
IL Il turn of dry, which Is more often
the case than otherwise, that that corn
will make 100 per cent less than the
same corn would have made with a
good sensible blowing done after the
rain. or TO make II palmer: II field
OF corn not plowed after the rain
would make ten bushels to the acre.
with a good reasonable blowing II
would make twenty bushels, and the
most OF our experiences VIII teach us
that the difference will be even greater
than this. especially on better land. so
taking these estimates as being cor
rect. but they are not correct, for they
are far too favorable to the non
Moved corn. Then we will give our
corn three sweep burrows TO the acre
(but II 1t had been plowed rightly the
last time two harrow burrows would
have been sufficiently, but allowing
everything. we will take the three
sweep burrows, and one man can pillow
easily two and half acres per day
or he can pillow his ten acres In -FOUR
days. and the increase of production
on account OF the blowing viii be
ten bushels per acre or one hundred
bushels for his four days work. Now
there is not a farmer In Brazos Coun'
ty but what knows that this Is the
truth. and yet we find plenty OF them
that will argue that they cannot az
ford TO leave their cotton long enough
TO pillow their corn, when 1t amounts
to twenty-five bushels per day for
them. Besides, four days in the
growth OF cotton does not amount TO
anything when It might literally ruin
corn crop. You can abuse cotton
and work at II until midsummer and
then make reasonably good crop.
IL is poor farming. to say the least
OF 1t, for any man to neglect his corn
for his cotton, and this will never be
a prosperous country until the price
of corn and other feedstuff Is greatly
reduced by each farmer raising
enough corn to at least run his indi'
vidual farm.
A. w. BUCHANAN,
Demonstration Agent, BraZos County.