. The American farmer. A hand-book of agriculture for the farm and garden ... Agriculture. 90 FARMER S HAND-BOOK. The fanners in some of the finest districts in Pennsylvania have, of late years, made much less use of the plough, in cultivating their corn, than formerly. They now generally content themselves with moulding, or throwing a single furrow on each side of the young plants, leaving a space of from three to three and a half feet untouched. The space left is after- wards worked by means of shovel-ploughs, and cultivators (Fig. 51), which completely destroy the grass and loosen the groun
. The American farmer. A hand-book of agriculture for the farm and garden ... Agriculture. 90 FARMER S HAND-BOOK. The fanners in some of the finest districts in Pennsylvania have, of late years, made much less use of the plough, in cultivating their corn, than formerly. They now generally content themselves with moulding, or throwing a single furrow on each side of the young plants, leaving a space of from three to three and a half feet untouched. The space left is after- wards worked by means of shovel-ploughs, and cultivators (Fig. 51), which completely destroy the grass and loosen the ground. This mode of culture Fig. is more easily and economically performed than the old plan of ploughing the whole space between the rows, and leaving the surface completely level. If the land be sufficiently loose and deeply stirred, there is little use in hill ing it. It is sometimes said that corn requires hilling to support it. Nature disproves this, by the stiff, bracing roots thrown out by this plant at the time they are wanted, and for this very purpose. On wet lands, planting on ridges and hilling may be advisable, but such lands should not be chosen for corn. If wet, drain thoroughly, in the first place. Allow no weeds to grow, and do not fear to stir the surface in dry weather. Many farmers deem the use of the plough altogether unnecessary, and even injurious, and conduct the tillage of the corn crop throughout, first with the drag-har- row, and successively with the cultivator, horse-hoe, and hand-hoe. Thinning and Suckering. — As quickly as possible after it is ascertained that the plants are in a thrifty condition, and no longer in danger of being destroyed by the cut-worm and other enemies, they are thinned out, so as to leave only two or three in a hill. Or,-should they stand in rows or drills, the plants are left apart one or two feet. The operation of suckering takes place some time after thinning, and consists in tearing off the side-shoots which often spr
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectagriculture, bookyear
