The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette., April 23, 1910, Page 305, Image 5

About The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920

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HOW TO DOUBLE YOUR CORN YIELDS
VIII —THE GREAT NEED OF MOISTURE—WHY
CORN FIRES.
By Tail lutlcr.
■-- VEN THOUGH our rainfall la
heavy, the corn crop frequent
ly suffers for lack of mois
ture In fact, a lack of moisture at
some time during Its growth Is prob
ably more often a cause of a de
creased corn yield than an excess of
moisture. On uplands, or those with
fair surface drainage, this Is certain
ly the case. An amount of water
equal to from 6 to 10 Inches deep
over the entire surface of a corn
field may, during the season, be
taken up by the roots and evaporated
through the leaves hack Into the at
mosphere. fn eastern North Caro
lina Is a county in which the surface
of the ground Is near the level of
the sea that water Is always In reach
of the corn roots. This county Is
noted for Its large crops of corm
Similar conditions and results are
frequently seen along river and lake
banks.
Why We Cultivate.
There Is sufficient plant foods In
most soils that are planted to corn
to produce good crops. If the mois
ture conditions could be regulated to
suit the needs of the plants. The
conditions which have most Influ
ence in regulating soil moisture can 1
not he changed after the crop Is 1
planted. They consist of proper
drainage, thorough preparation of'
the land and abundant humus; but'
the method of cultivation may do
much towards conserving soil mols-1
ture for periods of Insufficient rain- 1
fall
The two main objects of cultiva
tion are to kill weeds and keep a
layer of loose dirt on the surface to
prevent too great evaporation of soil
moisture. In wet weather deep cul
tivation and the consequent root
pruning which follows is not an un
mlxed evil. This is especially the
ease where the deep cultivation more
effectually kills the weeds and grass.
Furthermore, in wet weather deep
cultivation stirs the ground and per
mits the entrance of air which no
doubt also tends, in a measure, to
counterbalance the evil effects of
root pruning; but in dry weather
deep cultivation is very hurtful, not
| so much because it causes increased
'evaporation of water from the soil,
as because of the cutting of the corn
roots, which are all needed to gather
sufficient moisture to supply the
needs of the plants. When plants
are barely able to obtain all the
moisture needed, and a deep cultiva
tion which cuts large numbecs of
roots Is given, the plantB must suffer;
for If all the roots can barel^ col
lect sufficient water to supply the
plants, injury to any of them must
lessen the supply of moisture re
ceived by the plants and cause them
to suffer as a result of this root
pruning.
Why Corn Fires.
Many a crop of corn fails to pro
duce as much as it promised, or as
much ns the grower expected, be
cause of conditions Indicated by
what is termed “firing.”
POLAND CHINAS
Choicest Blood —Show Quality
Imt m book your order out of ten finaly bred
litter* to be dropped In April ami Way. They are
priced accord in* to Indlridual worth -»lre toa**'
nhat e marking*, etc . $15 to >25 each. -I month*
ol<$. Three Jtl'e (Jilt*, bred to Champion, >tOen>-b.
Ju*t recclred four *rrat Sow*, rired by and bt.d
to noted champion*; one by On and On. brod to
Keep on-Meddler ono be Reopen-M*dd'*-. bred
to Banker; on* by T R.'* Perf.. br*d to Perf.
K. l~. Jr., etc. No better ho** In th* world.
T. U. JONES. Orrvllle. Ala.
The Cole
Guano
Spreader
i
THE COLE GUANO SPREADER
1 It Is furnished with a 4 Plow Cultivator Bar aa shown in cut. 2-Two strong Plow Feet (not
ilusn In cuO are furnished with each Spreader. 8 It baa a Urge Galvanized Steel liopper. holding
t* sack of guano. 4 It has our wonderful patent, forced feed Spreader Disk, which spreads the
guano over a spare about 10 Inchee wide and will aow with regularity (rum 100 to 8.000 pounds to the
acre. Nothing equal toll has ever be.- u seen. 6-In preparing to plant, remove the Cultivatur Bar
ami attach the Plow Feet to the Side Beams and then you can spread any quantity of Guano and
throw two good furrows on it. all at one trip, with one mule. 6—With Plow heet attached you haw
the beet Guano Spreader ami l ister it> the world. 7 With Cultivator Bar In place you cun side dross
your crop with guano and at the same time give it a good cultivation. 8—It is practical, strong, dur
able. and r»sy for one mule to pull. 8 Throw away those wasteful out-of-date distributors and get a
la lair saving Spreader. Cultivator. Lister, ami Side Dresser, combined in one machine. 10—Then you
can apply a part of your guano to grgieing crops at the right time to make rruit. lou want big gan
oi corn and big both of cotton. instead of poorly fruited tialka.
Write at once for name of merchant near you who sells and guarantees Cole Spreaders, or ask rot
easy way to order by mail. Ik) not delay; there will not he eiioodi for all; first come first served. Act
gutckly.
THE COLE MANUFACTURING CO.,
Box 400, Charlotte, N. C.
"Firing” may be due to a variety
of conditions, but the essential fac
tor is lack of moisture. Too heavy
fertilization with materials which be
come exhausted before the plants
have completed their growth; too
thick planting; large applications of
coarse stable manure, etc., are re
sponsible for the firing of the corn,
only when the supply of moisture
falls below the large amount which
these conditions make necessary to
the continued growth of the corn.
A crop of corn that is stimulated
to a large growth by heavy fertiliza
tion and abundant moisture con
tinues to require a larger amount of
moisture to develop the larger
growth of stalks which the early
stimulation produced. When the
water supply falls below the needs of
this large succulent growth the corn
“fires.” In the same way corn plant
ed thick develops a large growth of
plants per acre and requires a large
water supply as well as a large sup
ply of plant food. When this water
supply falls below the needs of the
plants they "fire.” Large quantities
of stable manure not only stimulate
a largo growth of stalks which re
quire a large supply of water; but
the manure, if coarse or applied too
mie in me season Deiore planting,
may so loosen up the soil as to cause
It to dry out so that the plants suffer
for lack of water and “fire.”
An over supply of plant food, par
ticularly of nitrogen if in a readily
soluble form may, when moisture Is
sufficient, stimulate a large growth
of stalk. If the supply of plant food
available becomes exhausted, the
plants may suffer more on account
of the early succulent growth and
the sudden exhaustion of the plant
foods, and “firing” results; but this
seldom occurs unless the water sup
ply also becomes deficient.
If any mistakes have been made
before planting the corn, It is now
too late to entirely correct them; but
much may yet be done to lessen the
bad effects. The three things most
needful are to keep the grass and
weeds down; to avoid cutting corn
roots as far as possible, especially in
dry weather; uud to pulverize the
surface soli after each rain or when
ever a crust forms.
Hotter Fanning In Texas.
^Messrs. Editors: The prospect for
good farming In Texas is better than
it ever lias t>een in the history of the
State. I travel over 2+ counties In
Texas, and in every county the farm
ers are working with a vim, and are
better up wjth their work than usual
at this time of the year. The farm
ers are learning to put their heads
in their work as well as their hands,
and as a result the fanner is rapidly
coming to the front, and I hope to
see the time when the farmer will
at least get on a level with the bal
ance of the world. When the farmer
and the business man co-operate and
work for each other's common good,
the results will be a revelation to all.
JOHN O. ALLEN,
Special Agent.
Gilmer, Texas.
layiiyourselt
Congo ia the ready roofing you will hear
about from your neighbors.
I* gives such good sat isfaction, costs so
little, is so easy to lay and is so waterproof
that you cannot help talking about it.
Thera is absolutely nothing in Congo
that will cause it to rust, rot or dry out. or
be affected by acid.
A 10 year Guarantee Bond in every roll
of 2 or 3 ply. Sample free for the asking—
also copy of the Bond.
UNITED ROOFING & MFG. CO- |
689 West End Trust Bldg. Philadelphia, Pa- I
Chic ago San Francisco H
You can rely on a
Wagon or Buggy
FOR 58 years the name Stude
bake^Tias stood for honest, reli
able work. You can have no
better guarantee of good, sound value
and satisfactory service than the sim
ple assurance that “Studebaker Made
It.”
More than one million Studebakers
are in actual use today, many of them
from 25 to 35 years in service with little
or no repairs.
Our record is known to all. We are
proud of it and our constant endeavor is to
maintain the high standard of Studdxikei
vehicles.
When you buy a Studebaker you get youi
money’s worth.
The many reasons for Studebaker superi
ority are clearly explained in our 36-page
illustrated book—“The Farmer’s Friend’’
—sent free on request.
Studebaker Bros. Mfg. Co.
South Bend, IncL. U. S. A. lAiac
Largest Wagon and Buggy Builders in the World
♦ When in Need of a Wagon or Buggy
See the Studebaker Dealer | __
r~ —-" 1