The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette., May 28, 1910, Page 393, Image 13

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

Image provided by: Mississippi Department of Archives and History

                
HOW TO GROW PROFITABLE CORN CROPS.
"A Deeply Hroken, Well Pulverized Soil, Pilled With Humus,
Planted to Good Seed, and Properly Cultivated Should Insure a'
liiK Yield."
IT IS NOT the purpose or the
method of those engaged in
the farmers' co-operative demon
stration work to try to get large
yields by the heavy application of
commercial fertilizers, as some farm
ers seem to think. We do not advo
cate excessive use of fertilizers, but
want to make the best use of the
amount used. Or. Knapp's idea is
not only to make large yields per
acre but to grow them as cheaply as
possible. The great thing is to use
such methods of farming as will per
manently build up the soil so that
It will make large, profitable crops.
Of course, we advocate the use of all
stable manure, lot scrapings, leaf
mold and things of that character,
for the purpose of supplying humus
to the soil.
Our records of costs of making the
corn crops are not yet sufficiently
completed for publication, except in
individual Instances, but wo believe
we can safely say that they are about
half of the average cost of producing
corn. Several of the records already
In. run from 20 to 30 cents per bush
el and some of them as low as 10
to 12 cents per bushel.
For the benefit of those not In
touch with the work, we will say
that the large yields being reported
are due mainly to three things:
1. A deep, well pulverised seed
bed, with as much humus as pos
sible.
2. Sound, well-improved seed to
plant
S. Proper cultivation.
It la impossible to grow a full crop
of corn on three or four inches of
1 soil. There is not enough plant food
nor enough moisture in that depth to
make a large yield. We must have
6 or 8, or even 10 to 12 inches of
soli in most cases, if we are to grow
big crops profitably. The deep
breaking of the soil is one of the
principal factors lu the big yields
made this year. As a general rule,
we advocate doing this deep break
It „ I. II u. S I. .. ...Im
before the soil becomes too wet from
the winter ralus. The air, sunshine
and freezes all help to pulverise the
soil and mako plant food available,
and they are much cheaper than
commercial fertilisers. Winter cov
er crops are advocated wherever it
Is practicable to grow them.
(i»da are rocks and they should
be pulverised in order that what
plant food they contain may bo used
by the plaut and so that they will
help in bolding moisture.
An average slsed stalk of corn
will use as much as 300 pounds of
water in making Its growth. If this
supply is not presont, and we do not
have the proper amount of rainfall
st the proper time, the yield Is cut
off accordingly. It Is Impossible to
have uuough soil moisture for, say,
10,000 stalks to the acre if the soil
has no humus aud has not been
broken for more than three or four
luches deep.
Hlght In connection with the sup
ply of moisture we recall that a
pound of vegetable matter lu the sol
will hold seveu times as much mols
lure as a pound of sand and hold U
three times as long: That a pouui
of vegetable matter will hold thre<
times as much moisture as a pount
of clay and will hold It twice ai
long, of course the vegetable mat
t*r furnishes plaut food also, and 1
I Necessary for the growth of the bac
terial organisms which do so mucl
lood for the farmer. Stable mauur
Is uue of the b«8t agencies for bup
plying these organisms as well as
for furnishing humus.
Good seed plays no small part In
producing profitable crops, often In
creasing the yield from 10 to 50 per
cent and sometimes 100 or more per
cent over scrub seed.
By proper cultivation we mean
simply the “frequent and shallow
stirring of the soli around the grow
ing plant.” Sometimes, however, it is
advisable to let the first cultivation
be rather deep, provided it is done
before the plant roots get out into
the soli. Care should be exercised in
this since the plant roots grow sev
eral times as fast in length as the
corn stalk grows in height. After
the corn gets up considerable height
the cutting or breaking of these
roots Is like pulling an animal’s
teeth and then expecting it to hustle
for the food it needs. Some times
farmers cut off the yield of their
corn crop from 5 to 10 bushels per
acre by deep cultivation, thinking
that only “elbow grease” is neces
sary to make a good corn crop. Fre
quent and shallow cultivations also
help to retain the moisture that
should be present in the soil to carry
the corn crop through a drought
A deeply broken soil, therefore,
well pulverized, filled with humus,
planted to good seed, and properly
cultivated ought to make a big yield
of corn for any farmer.
C. R. HUDSON,
When You Hire Help.
Messrs. Editors: One of the fun
damental secrets of success In any
calling Is the ability to judge human
nature.
When you employ men, employ
only good ones, when you can.
Careful, honest, conscientious men
are treasures. A man so slow that
he never makes mistakes Is simply
N'. G., and equally as bad is the
rushing man who makes only mis
takes and does nothing or little
right.
Stick to the man who works his
brains tame, and his hands some.
too.
Eire the man at once who is fiery
in temper, yells and storms about
the feed lot and barn, storms or
clubs the stock and kicks the dog
from sheer ill nature.
There are far more balky drivers
than balky horses; more kicking
milkers than kicking cows.
I do not think any horse properly
broken need to be balky, nor any
cow carefully cared for, vicious.
When you see a mau of 50 or 60
who has worked everyhere, at near
ly everything, and is still rolllug
mossless, you may as well let him
roll by, for all the good he will do
you. He is wrong somewhere, you
may be sure.
1 have known many a man to
lose a good place or throw away
the fruits of a long time of Industry
and kick himself out of a good Job
by a single lapse of control. A kind
disposition and even temper are ab
solutely necessary among stock for
success, as well as among help.
And If a Hrui, even temper Is es
i sentlal to the man who does the
i work, It is even more so to any man
1 who directs other men's work.
A. M. WORDEN.
Coffee Co., Tenu.
Many farmers pay half their money
for the machine and the other half
for the privilege of letting It take
- the rain and sunshine.
I From Oven Door I
H to Farm House Door jS
That sums up the whole story
when you buy soda crackers by
name—
Uneeda
Biscuit
m As soon as they are baked they are UN|
JSjf) placed in moisture-proof packages. In V$/
| this way they are kept free from dust, ■
I damp and other harmful conditions. I
m This means that you are always w
yMr assured of fresh, clean, crisp, unbroken Sjj
■ soda crackers no matter where you ■
■ buy them or when you eat them. I
They come in five cent packages. M
M (Never sold in bulk) |B
| NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY I
Your paper is indeed a great help
to the demonstration agent. When
I find a Progressive Farmer and Ga
zette reader, I find a man that has
the progressive spirit and his farm
shows it. We have no trouble get
ting the work carried out according
to instructions by Progressive Farmer
readers.—A. R. McDonald, Special
Agent, Waldron, Ark.
GULF t SHIP ISLAND RAILROAD CO.
Main Line-South Bound.
. . Na*. Na&
Lv Jacksoo 6 JO a m. 3J6 a m.
Lv Hattiesburg 9:43 a a 70S p. m*
Ar Gulfport 12J0 p. m. 10.00 a m.
Columbia Division-South Bound.
Na 101. Na 109.
Lv. Mondonhsll 7:30 Am. Lv. Jackson 2 JO p.m.
Ar. Gulfport 1:40 p.m. Ar. Cnlumhia fl-BOp.m
Main Linb-Nobth Bound.
. „ _ Na A Na A
Lv Gulfport 7:40 Am. 446 p. m.
Lv Hattiesburg 10 JO a bl 7:43 a m.
Ar Jackson 1:66 a m. 11O0 p. bl
Columbia Division—North Bound.
Na 108 Na 110
Ar. Mendenhall 946 p.m. Ar. Jockaon 10:16 Am.
Lv. Gulfport 2:46 p.m. Lv. Columbia 6:10 Am.
Connection* at Gulfport, Lumberton, Columbia.
Hattiesburg. Laurel and Jackson with all lines.
For further information, apply to
J. L. HAWLEY, General Passenger Agent,
Effective March 28.1910. Gulfport, Miss.
Low Excursion Rates
TO
California, Washington, Oregon and
British Columbia. For Information
as to Dates of sale, limits, stopovers,
routes, sleeping car reservations,
schedules, etc., apply,
H. R. WESTON. A. 0. HAINES.
Local Agent D. P. A.
Jackson. Miss.
JNO. A. SCOTT. A. Q. P. A..
Memphis. Tenn.
For Information as to Lands In
The Nation’s Garden Spot
That Great Fruit and Truck Growing
Section Along the
ATLANTIC COAST LINE
RAILROAD
in Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia,
Alabama and Florida, write to
WILBUR McCOY,
Agricultural and Immigration Agent,
Atlantic Coast Line, Jacksonville, Fla.