VOL. KK.
INDIANAPOLIS, FEBRUARY 25, 1905.
NO. 8
How to Raise a Oood Crop of Oorn.;,
Editors Indiana Panoer:
As success in life does not rest on any
one single act but a succession of many
jets just so in order to raise a good crop
of com -we must not only take heed to one
means of producing a crop but must bring
many conditions in tlieir relative order to
make a good crop available. It would
be useless to magnify any one part of
attention- or labor as tlie neglect of that
■which wie might think was not essential
might be the very thing which would
prove fatal to a crop, therefore it is our
purpose to delineate a system of labor in
corn growing, believing that each ono
should have special attention if we are
expecting good results.
A Fertile Seed Bed
is very necessary. Ground well stored
with humus, either by growing clover or
the application of stable manure, will be
susceptible of retaining moisture whieh in
a dry season will demonstrate its value.
Ground should
Be Well Underdrained •
No matter what kind of a crop you desire
to raise, underdraining is very important.
Surface draining does not let the water
percolate which loosens, and lets the air
circulate through the soil, but instead the
ground Bakes and becomes hard and.lifeless, having no reserve for moisture. Having good ground and a well prepared seed
bed we should plant nothing but
Good Seed
which was selected early in the fall and
well dried out before freezing sets in.
Seed corn should be of! strong germination. Because eorn sprouts is no reason
it is fit to plant the germ may be defective, so it is not able to produce a stalk
capable of producing a good ear, no matter how good Csire is given it. A poor
stand of corn means dollars lost, an-d this
will surely be the result of planting poor
seed corn. We have resolved to plant no
corn which has not been selected and
-dried in the fall, choosing ears uniform
in size and color. The tips aBrf butts
should be shelled off so all the grains will
be as near uniform in size -as possible, as
no planter can drop regular with grains
varying in size. Two to three grains
in each hill will be sufficient.
Early Planting,
is more sure of maturing and will make
better corn, both in quality and quantity
than late planting. Last spring we
planted one piece of corn on the 12th of
May, and it made a good yield of well
niaturs?d corn. On account of the wet
weather we were delayed in planting another piece until the first of June, and
the result was we had a poor yield of
soft corn. Early planting might get
nipped with the frost, but it never hurts
it as it will come on again. The next
important step is
Cutivation
which serves two very    important    purposes—keeping    the    gronnd    clean    and
breaking up capillary    attraction    which
causes the ground to hold its moisture.
The best way to kill weeds is to never
let them start to growing. After the
corn has been planted, ami before coming
up, harrow the ground with a spike tooth
harrow. After corn comes through the
ground we have found that a woeder is
n very good tool to use, as it stirs the
ground which tends to hinder grass and
weeds from starting, and makes a dust
mulch which holds the moisture. Cultivation should be continued until tho corn
is well nigh matured. When the corn becomes too tall to cultivate, with a two-
horse cultivator, one will find that going
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Plan of Farm Residence, copyright by Co-operative
New York City.
SECOND   PLOOR.
Building       Plan     Assn.
The farm residence shown alwne is 23 feet wide, and 43 feet 6 inches long
including veranda and rear porch. Cellar (i ft. 0 inches high, under whole houso;
first story 9 feet ami second story 8 ft. (1 inches. The foundation is stone and brick;
outside lap siding and shingle roof. Interior finish two coat plaster. Yellow pine
floors and finish, oiled. Outside painted buff: Winds and sash dark green; brick work
df-rk red. Size of rooms shown in plans. Open fire place in parlor; double sliding
doors between parlor and dining room; ample closets as shown in plan.
Cost at New York prices $1,750, including mantels, cook range and heater.
Would cost in Central West one to two hundred dollars less. There is room in
attic for two large bed rooms, but in thisplan not finished.
good to bo there. Our fanners are wide
awake and are determined to keep abreast
of tlio most improved methods in fanning and raiding nml handling of the best
live stock so as to make our high priced
land pay a good dividend ou tlie investment.
Our Boards of Education excused all
students in tlie High Schools, who would
attend tlio farmers' institutes, and our
n.eetiiigs wore full of lroys and young men.
who are suon to fill the places of us older
men, which was one of) the good features
<rf I l.e institute.
Our executive committee called on the
audience to name subjects they wished to
hear discussed at our next institute, and
are now laying the foundation for what
they hope will be a better institute for
100(5  than  the out;  just  closed.
Jasper Co. J. II. Biddle.
onco in a row with a one horse cultivator
will be very beneficial. We have found
tbis to give good results even after harvest. I have mentioned several things
to do in attempting to raise a crop of corn
and unless wc strictly comply with all
of them a crop may not be expected, as
the failure to adhere to any one part of
labor may be the fatal step in preventing
a good crop of corn.
Jay Co. E. T. Haffner.
Jo»per County Institute.
Es!lton» Indiana Farmer:
We have just closed at It.. '—f°n. one
of the most successful farmers' in,,.,„;es.
both as to numbers, interest and feood ac
complished ever held in this part of the
State. We had for an all around man
A. G. Burkhart, of Tipton county. lie
is a very zood man and added very much
to the success of the institute; he was ably assisted by local talent and Mr. Fitz-
patrick, of Johnson county. Much
praise is due Mr. Frank Fisher, our
president, for his untiring efforts in behalf
of the institute. The program was replete with good subjects and everything
-.as carried out. Music was furnished
a male quartette which was good and
■-ol
iring, until  the close of the institute
-  ion the audience all stood and sang the
■loxology, and all went home feeling it was
Clover Crowing.
Edltora Indiana Fanner:
Mr. Is. B., of Parke county, wants to
know about his clover. ,1 think one trouble is he puts on too much seed. In cutting hay and working over my fields I
find whore it is too thick it grows short,
and does not yield much hay. He said
he was going to sow 15 pounds of clover
seed per acre where ho had sown rye and
timothy last fall. Now my rule is 7 or
S pounds per acre, nnd I have a good
stand.
I most always sow from 15th of JIarch
to last of April being careful to watch
when the ground is frozen and honeycombed, so the seed will get covered up.
I would rather risk it this way even
though it lie quite, windy. I never had
good Inek sowing on snow. I am no
great friend to timothy.
If I sow clover in oats I work and
pack my ground solid as I can, then sow
seed before I drill the oats, then float or
roll the ground after.
If you ean plow your ground in the fall,
so much the bettor. I have not failed
on clover for twelve years. Here with
us we pasture or clip quite a good deal
about the first of June; then let it grow
for seed and it pays big.
Lagrange Co. W. S. Is.
Cow Pees nnd 8oy Beans.
Editors Indiana Fanner:
I.ast year I sowed three acres of cow
peas, two bushels to the acre on the 21st
of .Tunc, on clover soil. Somo of tin-
land was black and romo clay. They
grew up from 8 to 10 inches high and
nevor  podded. Please  give  reason  for
same, ami also some information on soy
beans.
1. When to sow them?
2. On what kind of land do they do
the best?
3. Where can 1 get the seed and at
what price por bushel? J. I..
Clinton Co.
—Y'ou sowed too late for the pons to
mature in this climate, but the vines ought
to have made a In-tler growth in such soil.
Ton inches is entirely too small. Are you
sure it was cow poas you sowed? Soy
1-eans aro nf throe kinds; one of them
grows only a foot or 15 inches high. The
medium kind is IS or 20 inches, and the
largost from two to throe feet, but this
lattor doos not mature here. s\ny good
sood firm can supply you with seed. The
prioe varies  from .$3  to $1 per bushel.
A wedding celebration in Cairo lasts for
throe days. Thore is feasting during all
the time and the house and streets are
liberally decorated with flags and lanterns.