French Broad hustler and Western Carolina Democrat. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1915-1916, 1916-05-25
CULTIVATING THE CORN CROP.
When to Cultivate Deep-Why Laying
By on q Bed is Dangerous.

DS JILL a DCu IL DouSCIOuSS
Corn is one of the gew crops that
may be adapted to practically every
condition of plant life, hence it is found
growing in all kinds of soils and in all
varieties of climate. The cultural
methods for high and consistent yields
vary but little, no matter if one be in
the temperate zone or the tropics.
The root system of the corn plant
is very extensive and some of the main
feeding ones are near the surface of
the soil. Their growth is very rapid
while the plant is young, they some
times attaining a length of two feet
before the plant is three or four inches
high. The first roots are generally
shallow and extend in all directions,
making deep cultivation at that time
one of the things to be avoided. There
are times, however, when deep plow-
ing is necessary at this stage of de-
velopment; first, when weeds and
grass become toe thick; and, second
when the soil is packed from a heavy
rainfall. In either case there is moth
ing else to do. Methods of deep Gull
tivation very, but the same objects are
always in view; conservation of mois-
ture and care of the roots. harrington
the crop should eve be tolerated. 1t
not only cuts the roots close to the
plant, but leaves the plant standing
On a ride. The loss of moisture is
great, as the SOL is not thrown back
to the corn for several days. OF
course, if the soil is returned at once,
the danger is lessened.
Time is a factor that must be con-
sidered in performing farm work.
Barring off is usually done with a
turn pillow, and only one side of a row
can be plowed at a time. Straddle-
row cultivators al be used by the
same labOrers that use the walking
plows and one man, by driving two
mules, can do as much work as two
men and four mules with the other i'm
plementS. Some small one-horse Gull
tivators, like the Is or 5-tooth har-
rows, can be used in the middle if the
rows are tOO-wide for them to be
reached by the straddle-row machine.
Hoeing may be necessary, even in
case turning plOws are used. Unless,
however, a wet season prevails, result
ing in a heavy growth of weeds, this
should be unnecessary.
The various state agricultural eX-
pertinent stations have shown re-
peatedly that frequent shallow cultiva-
ton is the best method of working the
crop. In fact. one of the great pur-
poses in cultivation is to kill weeds.
This may be accomplished with a hoe,
but since time is a factor, one can
not consider it as practicable.
Laying-by is a term given the last
blowing. If peas are sowed at this
time, further cultivation is impossible.
1t is usually a better plan to SOW the
peas On the sides of the ridges, leaving
space to work the middles with a one
horse harrow. Should rains occur
during the summer, a crust is apt to
form, therefore it is wiser to have the
middles free for cultivation.
The old practice of stirring the soil
deep n making high ridges is less
prevalent each year. Farmers in
many localities work their corn shall
low until time for the. last blowing,
when the turn pillow is used, making
ridges a foot Or eighteen inches high.
Nothing is more injurious. The mois-
iture supply to the plant is decreased to
such an extent that firing may be
noticed in a few days. This always
denotes need of water. Further, it
generally occurs at a time when the
plant needs water most. The early
civilizations should be such as to help
conserve soil water for this period Of
growth, and the good work done early
in the season should not be destroyed
by late barring-off.-A. F. Kidder in
Progressive Farmer.