No. 3. 



Report on Indian Corn. 



89 



Report on ludiau Corn. 



In a late number of the Southern AgricultvrUt, we 

 find the following Report niade to the Ajritiiltiiral So- 

 ciety of South Carolina. That State already raises 

 nearly corn enough fur her consumption: and with the 

 improved cultivation which may be anticipated from 

 the use of lime, and her abundant supply of marl, we 

 should not be surprised if in the course of a few years, 

 she should have a svirplus of this noble grain. — Ed. 



Your committee on Indian corn, beg 

 leave to report: — We consider tlie corn 

 crop as second to no other crop made in the 

 United States; and in this State, tlie advan- 

 tage of raising our own supfi^ies would be 

 of great importance, and would save to the 

 State a large sum of money spent annually 

 for corn. Under these circumstances, any 

 improvements in planting, or cultivating 

 this valuable grain, must be interesting. 

 By a judicious use of the plough, and other 

 good management, the crop may be much 

 increased, and in a few^ years, a full supply 

 for the State might be expected. 



In the years 1838 and '89, about 500,000 

 bushels of corn were imnorted. From Oc- 

 tober, 1841, to October, 1842, 300,000; and 

 from October, 1842, to October, 1843, 200, 

 000: showing an increase of the crop of the 

 State, of lOO^OOO bushels in one year. This 

 increase may be attributed to the efforts 

 made by Mr. Ruffin and others, in recom- 

 mending marl and other manures, and the 

 proper use of plouglis. 



All plants derive their nourishment from 

 air, water and soil, and the corn plant must 

 have a supply of air and moisture to effect a 

 fujl developement of its growth; and the 

 soil, to do its part, must be well manured 

 and cultivated. 



Where the land has been long planted, 

 tiiere is frequently a hard subsoil crust, 

 wl.ich must be well broken up by the sub- 

 soil plough, to enable the perpendicular 

 roots to penetrate deep into the earth, to 

 obtain moisttire for the plant. 



In pieparing land for a corn crop, we 

 would recommend that in the early part of 

 the winter, a furrow of six or eight inches 

 deep should be made with the common 

 plough, that the subsoil plough should be 

 run in this furrow to the additional depth of 

 ten or twelve inches, and that corn-stalk 

 and other manure should be put in tins 

 trench, and listed in, when thoroughly wet, 

 , with a small plough or hoe, as may be con 

 venient; the land to remain in this state, to 

 the period of planting. 



We catmot too highly recommend the use 

 of the subsoil plough. By its use the soil 

 will be less wet after great rains, and more 

 moist in great drought. Mr. Delaplain in- 



forms us, that in 1823, he planted a field of 

 25 acres of corn ; that in a part of tiiis field 

 he used the subsoil plough, and in the other 

 part, the common tillage. A furrow was 

 made with the common bar-share plough, 

 five or six inches deep, and with the subsoil 

 plough seven inches deeper — that in all 

 other respects, the soil, planting and tillage, 

 were the same. In that part of the field 

 where the subsoiler was used, the corn kept 

 its colour throughout the season, and pro- 

 duced 50 per centum more than the other. 

 And where the common tillage was used, it 

 sufiered much from drought, and fired consid- 

 erably. 



Mr. C. M. Bement also states that he sub- 

 soiled a part of a piece of ground which he 

 planted to Indian corn. The piece of ground 

 was on a lioht loamy, or sandy knoll. That 

 he subsoiled it in strips, leaving alternate 

 strips not subsoiled, all being manured alike: 

 he ran the subsoiler from eight to ten inches 

 deep. The season proved to "be very dry, 

 and where the subsoil plough was not used, 

 the corn was so burnt up that it produced 

 nothing; but where it was used, the corn 

 remained green and flourishing through all 

 the drought, and produced a good crop. 



The soil must be moist at the time of 

 planting, or a good stand cannot be expected. 

 The seed corn ought to have been selected 

 with care in the field from those stalks bear- 

 ing the greatest number of ears. And here 

 we would recommend, in the highest terms, 

 the use of the coal-tar, to preserve the seed 

 from birds, &c. When the seed is well pre- 

 pared by the use of coal-tar and soot, and the 

 soil well moistened by a good rain, to be 

 planted at the distance of three feet, the 

 rows being from five to six feet apart ; and 

 either one, or two stalks should be left, ac- 

 cording to the fertility of the soil. Where 

 the soil is very rich, or highly manured, we 

 think it best to plant at two feet apart, and 

 to leave two stalks. 



As soon as the corn is up, the plough 

 ought to be used in breaking up and pulver- 

 izing the earth between the rows, and when 

 five or six inches high, the best ploughman 

 ought to run a furrow as near as possible to 

 the plant, the tar side of the plough being 

 next to it, and the other ploughmen may 

 break up the intermediate space between 

 the rows. At this period the ploughing* 

 ought to be deep and close, breaking up and 

 pulverizing well the soil. By porosity ot 

 soil, the air is admitted, and a larger quan- 

 tity of organic and inorganic food for the 

 plant is afforded. ' . 



In dry weather the oftener the plough is 

 used the better, until the corn is about one- 

 third grown, after which, the plough ought 



