VOL. XXX.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., MARCH 23, 1895.
NO. 12.
OORN OULTURE.
Our prize essays— [The nnmber ol
essays published refer to the order of publication, and not to the awards. The oommittee will not make the decision until
all essays are published.]
PRIZE ESSAY NO   15.
My farm is rolling clay soil in Wayne
county, fairly underdralned. I break the
land over once very deep in a series of
years then use barn-yard manure for corn
and commercial fertilizer for the wheat
and clover. Have olover sod for oorn as
often as possible. I would manure the
less fertile parts of the land with good
barn-yard manure. I think it is some advantage to let the clover start to grow some
before plowing. Break a reasonable good
depth.
I find it a gocd plan if it commences to
dry very fast and the weather begins to
look drouthy while breaking, to work
down some as fast as you plow and lf there
should oome rain and ruin the land it is an
easy matter with the tnools we have nowadays to work it up again before planting
and it will be ln fine condition. The land
should be worked until it forms a good
fine and mellow seed bed.
I invariably drill my corn in a wide shallow farrow this Ib one of the most important features-to make an easy success In
the cultivation of coru planted by the drill
system
As regards the kind of seed my white
oorn has generally taken the lead. It ap
pears to do better than the other sorts fn
dry weather. I select my seed so every
grain will be as near the same sizs as it is
possible to get them. Then I select a drop
plate that has holes that will fit the grains
of corn then set the drill to drop 16 inches
Cover from one and one h*lf to two Inches
deep.
If the ground is dry and crusty we roll
first, then we go right in with our two
horse riding oultlvators with six long narrow shovels. We set the fetds's so as to
run close to the corn and adjust the plow
so the shovels will run pretty deep and as
the young oorn is jast a little below the
level we begin to work the soil in around
the corn and it is an easy matter to cover
the grass and weeds. We go through the
corn two or three times this way. Then
we adjust the shovels to run shallow and
we begin to encourage our teams to a
somewhat lively gait, Btepping easy to the
tune of eight acres a day and as the fine
and lively soil flows around and under
the rear ends of the fenders and gently
falls against the corn from both sides at
the same time there can hardly a weed
escape. As soon as the corn Is large
enough we take off the fenders and don't
plow so very close after that.
We go through the corn once a week
until lt gets too large for two horse cultivators and lhan If we have ruins that
would form a crust we go thre ugh once In
row with one horso cultivator.
Wayne Co.
preparation of the seed bad.
Clover should always b9 grown in the
rotation with corn, but if the usual method
of planting corn on sod be changed and as
we have practiced for the last few years
with good results, firstgrowacropof small
grain or some other orop on the sod and
plant to oorn the next season, you cin
avoid all risk of having your oorn cut
down by tha worms and often be saved the
necessity of re-plantiDg or planting over.
Daring the winter and early spring before
time to plow, all the manure that c»n be
scraped up Bhould be spread on the poorer
parts of the field intended for corn. When
the ground becomes in good condition to
work (it should never be worked when
wet) it should be plowed at least six or
eight inches deep. After breaking, the
soil should be worked up loose and mellow about as deep as it was plowed. For
this I find some form of the disc harrow
the best implement and in fact almost indispensable. After the soil has been well
worked up with the disc harrow it only
needs to be leveled off with a smoothing
harrow to be in good condition for planting. The best time for planting ln this
latitude Is from the 1st to the 15th of May.
Corn should be drilled ln rows three feet
eight inches apart and from 12 to 18 inches
clay soil 100 to 200 pounds per acre applied
in hill or drill Increases the crop far above
the expense of fertilizer and its application.
Bs sure and always nse good seed. A
good plan is to select from the field as soon
as the husk becomes dry, and from spots
as free from ba*ren stalks as possible.
Store in a dry, airy place.
The fodder properly taken oare of is no
small Item. Cat as soon as the ear reaches
maturity. If cut at this time corn will
shrink but very little and the fodder is as
good as lf cut earlier. Ciibbing should
begin as soon as the cob is reasonably free
from sap. The fodder should be placed In
the dry.
Jackson Co.
gtnU iJjexos.
I-RIZBBSSAY KO   18.
To insure a good crop of corn tbe ground
should be under drained sufficiently to
take off the surface water soon after a large
rain. I raise but one crop of corn on a
field. In the fall I sow the field in wheat
or rye, or sow oats or spring barley the
next spring. I sow clover in the spring
where the small grain has been sowed I
haul what manure I have and scatter over
the poorest places. I turn all stock from
the ground intended for corn as soon as
the frost begins to leave the  ground.   As
eight Inches apart ana from 12 to 18 menes  «*»"•».">■*'»»""•'" —  o*~ *   ~~
in the row, according to the quality of the soon ** the g«>nn<l will do I commence to
soil. Before it oomes up it shonld bs gone
over with a roller; then with a smoothing
harrow. This puts the ground in good
oondition for the first plowing and lets the
corn get the start of tv e weeds. For the
flrst plowing, in order tbat the soil may be
kept loose and mellow for the corn roots
to start in, the cultivator should be set to
run rather deep. Rolling the corn after
the first plowing is often very beneficial,
especially ln a dry season. The remainder
of the cultivation should be regular and
shallow, the aim beirg to keep the weeds
down and the surface of the ground loose
and mellow and as level as Is practicable,
until after the corn begins to shoot.
Rush Co.
PRIZE ESS AY KO   16.
That we may most successf ally guard
against the effects of the varying seasons
of either drouth or excessive rains and thus
Insure the best possible returns for the
labor of cultivation, the gronnd intended
for the growing of corn should be put in
such thorough condition of drainage and
such mechanical condition as to render its
original fartility in the most available
form.
On clay soils, with a clay sub' soil, there
is nothing tbat will so insure the crop
against the blighting effects of a drouth as
thorough tile dralnago and the deepening
and loosening of the soil by sab soiling.
The shallow culture of oorn, now so generally recommended, should not be taken
to mean also shallow breaking and shallow
PKI/.E ESSAY NC . 17.
Every farmer understands the main con
ditions to produce a good corn crop and
the first of these is a good soil. If planted
on poor land without manure or fertilizer,
no amount of work can make a good crop
No soil is too strong or rich for corn.
Wheat, oats and other crops may lodge
and go to waste on ground too rich for
them. Bat corn will use OD)y what it
needsjof the elements in the soil. If possible turn under a good olover sod leaving
all thin spots covered with manure the
fall before.
To prepare the land so that it will be free
from clods and well pulverized. Two or
three kinds of harrows may be needed, especially if it be clay loam A roller or clod
masher may also be necessary. A person
having only a common harrow can easily
make a smoothing harrow by driving 75
or 100 No. 89 wire spikes, at an angle of 40
degrees into two and one-half inch planks
and bolt together in shape of letter A.
Avoid planting t x> early, from May 10 to
20 is usually early enough on onr clay.
Plant so the top of the hlU or drill will
be an inch or eo lower than the common
level of the ground, thus miking it easier
to kill the weeds that may come up with
or before the oorn. Go over with a weeder
or smoothing harrow in four or five days
after planting. As soon as corn is fairly
up go over again with the same tool, being
careful to keep the team from stepping on
the corn. This, in addition to killing
weed", serves to break the crust ard fine
the soil. Han cultivator deep the first
time and let all after cultivation be shallow. If the season be dry it will pay to
cultivate until the ears form.
It is a question with some whether commercial fertilizers pay or not.   Unless the
break with a good turning plow kept sharp
by the blacksmith. I break my ground
seven to eight inches deep. I am particular to turn under all rubbish and manure.
I aim to have my gronnd all broken two
or three weeks before time to plant.
About the first of May I commence to
harrow with an "Acme" pulverizing harrow. This harrow does not undo the work
of the plow, butlf properly adjusted to the
soil it will almost prepare a perfect seed
bed.
I harrow my ground three times. The
first time I harrow the way the ground
was broken. I ad j ust the harrow to cut
about two inches deep. This will break
the crust nl ely and level the ground. The
next time I harrow crosswise of the first.
At the third harrowing 1 ao1 j ust the harrow to run deeper and weight lt to suit the
soil. By this way of managing my ground,
I prepare what I cill a perfeot seel bed for
corn. I select in the fall as much again
seed corn as I expect to need, and a few
days before I plant I overhaul my seed
corn and shell the fiaost ears. About the
tenth of M-y I begin to plant, with a two-
horse drill, set to drop 16 inches apart in
row and rows 3 feet eight Inches wide.
As soon as the corn is sprou'ed I go over
it with the "Acmb" harrow, set to run
about one inch deep. This last harrowing
kills all weeds that have started and pulverizes tbe ground 11 ae over the corn. The
result is the oorn will be np In a very few
days.
In about two weeks after the corn is up
I give it a close, deep plowing with a
spring tooth cultlva'or. V.J this time the
corn is of sufficient Bizs to admit of a close
cultivation and not cover up the corn.
The following week I plow the oorn again
this time I take off the clod fenders, but
don't plow quite-as deep as before. I
plow my oorn four times only. The last
two plowings I plow close to the corn but
not as deep as the first two plowings The
above is my way of raising corn and has
been satisfactory to met
Tipton County.
D H G ates, Jr , a young farmer, living
four miles north of Morristown was at-
by a vicious horse and was fatally injured.
The animal knocked him down and pawed
him.
Chauncey Jones, living near Battle
Ground, while feeding his live stock, was
attacked by a vicious cow and gored to
death.
Mrs. James Stevens, of Tippecanoe
county, choked to death during a violent
fit of coughing. 8he was 31 years old, and
the mother ot several children.
There wes a colllson on the Vandalia H.
R. last week. A taw persons were in jared
some, but there wes a great Iobs by fire,
to the express company and railroad company.
At IdavlUe, John S. Jnne", a prominent
farmer, was thrown from his buggy in a
runaway, and, after being dragged a considerable distance, he received injuries
whioh resulted fatally.
Dr M. H. Dmnel, of Boone county,sold
his farm of 439 acres of very fine land to
G. W. Norwood last week. Mr. Norwood
transferred his residence iu Lebanon, 201
acres in farm land and paid |4,000 in cash,
to Dr. Donnel for the line farm.
Porter Crawford's barn, five miles from
Tipton, was destroyed by an incendiary,
six head of hortes, five cows, 20 tons of
hay, one thousand bushels of corn and
much farm machinery was burned. Loss
$1,000, with no insurance.
Miss Dora Gllman, 20 years old, employed ln the Indiana cotton-mill, at Can-
nelton, undertook to remove an obstruction which prevented the elevator from
descending. In doing so she was struck by
thecablo.which had accumulated considerable slack, hand her neck was broken. The
girl was instantly killed.
Mr. and Mrs Jacob Goldberg, of this
city, were killed Saturday night from the
fames of natural gas. Mrs. Goldberg was
found dead in b 3d, and her husband was
unconscious and by the stove. It is believed he attempted tn turn off the gas but
was overcome and f .11 against the stove.
He was burned, and died the next day.
Jacob Huber, of this city, was killed last
Saturday night by a street car. He attempted to board the motor car as it was
going pretty fast, and he lost his hold and
fell nnder the trailer,, tbe wheels passing
over his right leg. The flesh was all torn
from the bone and he was horribly mangled. He was taken to his home, bit he
only lived a few hours.
ffimzvul Utews.
While a gang of laborers at Knollwood,
the estate of A.T. Glllender, were excavating for improvements to the property, they
dug up an old iron pot. It contained 250
pieces of gold and silver, colonial money,
the dates ranging from 1735 to 1770. It Is
supposed that the gold and silver belonged
to some of Washington's soldiers, who
_ were encamped neir the property during
soil Is very rioh,* we find that upon our [ the battle of White Plains.
Two hundred negroes will leave Savannah, Ga , soon, for Liberia.
Miss Anna Klskadden, of Union Plains,
O., died at the age of 105 years. She was
the oldest person in Ohio.
A strange disease is causing many
deaths in Kloyd county, Kentuoky. It resembles cholera somewhat.
Professor Wiggins predicts that the recent eclipse of the moon will be followed by
earthquakes ln b.lh hemispheres.
Mrs Ellen Leyden, age 26, was fatally
burned at East Liverpool, O , while heating a cup of alcohol at a neighbor's house.
George Rainsford, of Aurora, Illinois,
chained his eight-year-old son in an on-
heated room because he had ran away
from school.
For a fish story, Texas reports about
35,000 tons of fish killed by the cold
weather in the shallow b»ys along the
south coast of the Brazos river.
Dr. John A Broadus, famous as a sohol-
ar, divine and author, is dangerously ill
at his home in Louisville, Ky , with pleurisy, and his death is expected at any moment.
For Bronchial and Asthmatic Complaints, "Brown's Bronchial Troehcs" have
remarkable curative properties.
There 1» a peculiar eDldemlc prevalontin
H-tllfax, N a , that affects man and beast.
Veterinarians pronounce the disease equi-
nal small pox Men contract the disease
from horses. One man has had his arm
amputated to prevent blood poisoning.
John Stalnaker, of Arnoldsbarg, was arrested at Parkersbnrg. W. V. Craddock,
an orphan boy eight years old, made his
home with Stalnaker. During the intensely cold weather, Stalnaker sent him
on to the mountain for corn fodder. The
boy failed to find enough to suit Stalnaker,
and he is said to have oeaten the boy until
his body was a mass of blood aud bruised
flesh. He left the country to escape lynching.   The boy is fatally hurt.