THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
601 
1909. 
THE ELGIN, ILLINOIS, DAIRY DISTRICT. 
Crops and Cultural Methods. 
Part II. 
We might next consider as topics 
of a nature closely identified with 
dairying the kinds of crops grown and 
our methods of growing them. We 
have no hard and fast rules as to what 
we shall grow and how we must go 
about it. No two farmers, by reason 
of environments or conditions, can op¬ 
erate exactly alike. One farmer has 
surroundings better suited for the 
growing of a certain crop than his 
neighbor, so he grows more of it. 
Then again their ideas differ as to the 
relative values of the different crops 
as food for their milch cows, also as 
well their effect upon the soil. The 
absent landlord sometimes has to be 
considered as to methods, and while 
he may be a practical man he is not 
a farmer in practice. The sum and 
substance about crop growing or farm¬ 
ing with us is to grow, with the most 
economy, what we can make use of, 
and the best use of, in the production 
of milk, keeping an eye as well on 
the effects which they have on the 
land. The corn crop is our principal 
one; then come oats, timothy and 
clover, barley, rye and potatoes. A 
very small acreage of wheat, buck¬ 
wheat and Alfalfa is grown. Our 
farmers all believe in rotating their 
crops and follow it out pretty thor¬ 
oughly ; two or three years at the most 
for corn, one and two for oats. Tim¬ 
othy is often run longer than the 
others. 
All farmers raise corn, and we can 
call it our staple crop. There are no 
extremely large acreages of corn, and 
the yield is not to be considered great, 
but we think we are fairly successful 
with this crop. One of our farmers 
grew last year (and it was a poor year, 
too) 60 acres, which averaged 45 bush¬ 
els per acre, and many smaller fields 
yielding about the same were not un¬ 
common. This is not so bad, even 
when you consider the selling price, 
viz., 60 cents per bushel, and this crop 
is worth more than the market value 
as a food for the cattle. We grow 
corn firstly for its ground food value; 
secondly for the roughage or foduer: 
and lastly as a benefit to the soil, fol¬ 
lowing the more shallow-rooted crops. 
Unless the crop is to be grown on new 
or sod land, the ground is usually 
plowed in the Spring directly after the 
oats or barley is put in. The plowing 
is done to a depth of from five to 
seven inches, according to the texture 
of the soil. The lighter the soil the 
more shallow the plowing, unless a 
heavy crop of manure is to be turned 
under. Of the varieties of plows used 
both walking and riding are common, 
but more of the latter probably are 
to be noticed. The riding or sulky 
style requires three or four .horses to 
pull it, depending upon the size of the 
plow used and whether of the single 
or of the gang style. Our farmers 
aim to get their corn ground in readi¬ 
ness for planting by May 20, if pos¬ 
sible. June 1 is considered late for 
corn planting, although much of the 
corn grown last season was planted 
even later on account of wet, cold 
weather. Closely following the plowing 
of the land comes the harrowing. These 
implements are of a wide sweep. 12 to 
18 feet or often more, and comprise 
several different styles and makes, some 
of the spring-tooth variety, others of 
the spike-tooth style. Many of them 
are supplied with levers which permit 
the user to place the angle of the teeth 
to suit the condition of the land to 
be worked. A large scope of ground 
can be covered in one day with one 
of these broad harrows, often 30 or 
more acres. 
Should the ground be a new piece 
with sod not thoroughly worked out, 
or a cloddy or lumpy piece, then the 
pulverizer or disk harrow is made use 
of. The planting of corn is done with 
the two-horse planter having the check¬ 
row attachment. When the crop is to 
be cultivated both ways we drop 
four grains to the hill at an average 
depth of two inches. When the crop 
is grown for the fodder, it is rowed 
only one way, the check row dispensed 
with, the grains drilled in probably a 
foot apart, a certain plate or fixture 
being used in the planter for this pur¬ 
pose. After the corn has put in its 
appearance, sometimes a harrowing with 
a light harrow is given it. 
Occasionally we notice a farmer go¬ 
ing over his land, just after planting, 
with a roller, but neither this practice 
nor that of harrowing the corn is gen¬ 
eral by any means. The old adage, 
“Many men of many minds,” is well 
exemplified here as well as elsewhere. 
After the corn can be plainly seen in 
the rows, the cultivator, usually of the 
two-horse sulky style, is set to worx, 
keeping a little distance away from the 
corn and set not too deep, working 
well the centers of the rows. The 
next time over we cultivate in the op¬ 
posite direction, if the corn is rowed 
both ways. The third plowing can be 
done a little deeper and nearer to the 
growing plants. Cultivation of this 
crop is kept up in this manner pretty 
well to July 1, or until the farmer is 
obliged to quit it and attend to other 
work. Under average conditions our 
corn should be past “knee high” by the 
4th of July, and ready to “lay by.” 
The crop is usually cultivated on the 
level plan, possibly at the last plowing 
the soil may be thrown a little more 
freely up to the rows. Our corn crop 
now needs no further attention until 
the cutting or harvesting time, which 
usually precedes the Fall frosts. The 
variety of corn is selected so that the 
grain is nearly or quite matured when 
the frosts come. As the fodder is a 
valuable asset in any case, whether the 
corn is grown for the grain or not, 
care is taken that the crop be at least 
cut from the hill before a heavy frost 
comes. Corn harvesters or binders do 
this work in a scientific way, cutting, 
binding and delivering the corn in 
bundles of a convenient size to handle. 
Sometimes quite a piece is cut off and 
bound before the shocking commences, 
especially if help is hard to get. Some 
of our farmers who have good-sized 
fields leave the corn in the shocks until 
needed, especially if they do not have 
barn or yard capacity for it. Some 
haul it into the barns, husk and shell 
the corn and shred the stalks all at 
the same time with a shredding ma¬ 
chine, the grain flowing out free and 
clear from one part of the machine 
and the macerated stalks carried away 
or elevated to a convenient mow or 
bin. 
Where large crops are grown it 
would appear as if the machine method 
of husking and shredding was really 
the most economical one of getting this 
useful crop in the best shape for utili¬ 
zation. About silage corn we really 
know but little; that is, in the vicinity 
of Elgin At a few other points in 
the State there may be seen silos here 
and there, but they are not common 
by any means. Perhaps the fact that 
some of our milk condensing compa¬ 
nies refuse to handle the product of si¬ 
lage corn has something to do with 
the scarcity of silos. Of the varieties 
of corn grown, covering a period of 
several years, the Iowa Gold Mine and 
Iowa Silver Mine seem to be the most 
popular. Nearly all of the kinds grown 
are a species of the yellow dent variety, 
usually a fairly good-sized ear with 
grain of a good depth. The last year 
or two, with the Springs so backward, 
has necessitated the getting of some 
newer varieties of corn which will ma¬ 
ture in a shorter period. As a final 
word for corn, we will say that it is 
really our “money crop,” indirectly, 
perhaps, but nevertheless true. It is 
really the mainstay of our farmers, 
without which they could not make a 
success of dairy farming. w. c. b. 
GIVE GRADE CATTLE A SHOW. 
Regarding prizes for grade cows, 
there are all sorts of grades, but of 
these the grade with a pedigree and 
tested performance would be a great 
feature on the fair grounds. If a fair 
association would admit grades from 
registered sires, and the various breed¬ 
ing clubs would place to the registered 
bull’s credit his tested grade daughters, 
the farmer would see some use in own¬ 
ing registered bulls. If, further, a 
score card were adopted comprising 
those dairy points common to all breeds, 
and the fanner’s cow could be publicly 
scored on the fair grounds by an expert 
from the State experiment station, the 
improvement in our scrubs would be 
very manifest almost immediately. 
Things which can obtain public recog¬ 
nition become valuable at once. Farm¬ 
ers should be incited to keep records of 
the breeding and performances of their 
herds. If I have a pedigreed grade cow 
that has registered sire, grandsire, great 
grandsire—is this worth nothing? It 
should be of worth to other people be¬ 
sides myself, and the fair ground could 
make it so. fanny morris smith. 
Litchfield Co., Conn. 
There was a family reunion in Lei¬ 
cester last week, and the conversation 
had turned on the story of the surgeon 
who, having operated on a man, sewed 
up the wound leaving a sponge inside; 
and it was noted that one of the com¬ 
pany suddenly turned ghastly pale. 
“What’s the matter?’’ they cried. 
“Why. I was operated on for appendi¬ 
citis the other week, and I remember 
now that just after it my doctor was 
complaining of having lost his um¬ 
brella !”—Tit-Bits. 
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