Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 212, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 September 1916 — Page 3

MAKING the FARMPAY

By PROF. P. G. HOLDEN,

PREPARING SOIL FOR CORN There are no “ironclad” rules which may be followed blindly for the growing of corn any more than in other farm work. There Is no one best method suited to all sections or to the different soils of a section nor even to the different fields of the same farm. Frequently two very different methods may give equally good results. “Have good ground, do the work on time, and do it" thoroughly,” should be the motto of every corn grower. Nothing can make up _for poor ground. Too many are trying to raise corn on old “worn-out” ground that has produced corn, oats and wheat for years. I met a man at an Institute in Illinois who said in all seriousness that he was satisfied the seasons were less favorable for growing corn than they used to be, as he could get no suc% crops as he used to raise. Inquiry developed that he had grown corn for 17 years in succession on the same piece of ground. No wonder the “seasons were becoming less favorable.” Let us remember that it wqs but a few years ago that the farms of the corn belt were broken from the virgin soil, and that because we have been able to crop the ground continuously in the past, is no assurance that we-may continue to do so in the future with

Roots of Corn Do Not Grow Straight Down as Some Farmers Seem to Think -Notice How Near the Surface These Corn Roots Are—Deep Cultivation Late Will Cut the Roots of the Corn.

j/rofit. The fact is that the time is near at hand when we must give greater attention to the fertility of our soil. •What is needed is more clover, better use of barnyard manure and less of the continuous cropping with corn, oats and wheat. Fall Plowinfl for Corn. There is a difference of opinion regarding the merits of fall and spring plowing for corn. Among the advantages of fan plowing are the following: 1. The work is done at the slackest time of the year, when both men and teams would otherwise be idle. 2. Having the ground already plowed In the spring gives us time to better prepare the ground, and, what is of equal importance, to get our corn in on time. 3. A better prepared and a warmer seed bed, and consequently a better stand of corn. 4. Less danger from Insect enemies, especially in the case of sod ground. Weeds are prevented from seeding and the seeds already in the ground will mostly germinate and be killed by the fall freezes before they have seeded. Some disadvantages of fall plowing are: 1. Occasional losses from blowing and washing on rolling ground.

Former Dean of the lowa Agricultural College.

Excellent Seed Corn.

2. Unless the ground Is disked early in the spring there is a loss of moisture and a consequent “firing” of the corn during the latter part of July and August, especially in dry seasons. 3. The fall plowing does not give as good an opportunity to spread manure during the late summer and through the winter. The soils department of the lowa State college has conducted many experiments with fall and spring plowing in different parts of lowa, and in every case the yield of corn was greater on the fall plowing than on the spring plowing. The mistake Is commonly made of leaving the fall-plowed ground without disking until time to plant. The ground has become packed by snow and rain and should be disked or harrowed as soon as the oat seeding is over. This will conserve the moisture and lessen the firing of the corn in August, so common to fall plowing. , Ground that Is very rolling and likely to wash should not be plowed in the fall. Late Planting Bad. One of the most serious losses to the corn crop every year is due to late planting. Experiments show that lateplanted corn seldom yields as much as that planted earlier, and the quality is inferior. The ground becomes hard and out of condition, the weeds have

drawn upon the moisture and available plant food, the crop comes to the dry spell in a more critical stage, the proportion of barren stalks Is greater and it matures more slowly, contains more water and is much more lively to be caught by the frost. Every year thousands of farmers lose heavily from late planting. Many of these are good farmers, but are unTHE LAST CULTIVATION SHOULD BE SHALLOW SHALLOW CULTIVATION DEEP CULTIVATION LATE IN THE SEASON EARLY IN THE SEASON SAVES THE CORN ROOTS SAVES THE MOISTURE

expectedly delayed with the spring work, by a combination of bad weather, sick horses'and scarcity of help. - It Is generally advisable to plow stubble ground early in the fall.

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

First, because tlje weeds which hare been started will be prevented from seeding, and the weed seeds will be brought near to the surface, where they will germinate and be killed by the frost before they have seeded in the fall; and second, there is more spare time for the work. Late fall plowing is best for soil because: 1. It gives us the benefit of late summer pasture. 2. It is the best possible place to spread the barnyard manure during August and September, as there is the least danger of washing or leaching. 3. The ground can be much better prepared and with less work than when plowed in the spring. 4. There is less danger from damage by cutworms and other Insect enemies. Spring Plowing Abused. We often abuse our spring plowing by turning the earth up tn the sun and dried winds to bake and dry out, depending upon a shower to mellow the ground before planting time. With spring plowing it is a good rule never to leave the field at noon or might without harrowing the newly plowed ground. In my estimation no ground can be properly prepared, giving a good seed bed for corn, without the use of the disk. Deapth to Plow. What is known as deep plowing is not advisable in the corn belt. There is seldom any advantage in plowing more than six inches deep. On heavy soils the bad effects of too deep plowing are often apparent for several years. Too Deep Planting. Too deep planting is especially bad when the seed is weak or the spring is cold and backward. When the ground is not well prepared or is very mellow, there is danger of putting the seed down four or five inches when two Inches would be better. Dry, Mealy Surface Bed. On the other hand, there is no more serious mistake than shallow planting

Fine Shock of Corn.

in lumpy, dry soil.. The mofeture is not sufficient for rapid germination, much of it 'hours or rots, and the remainder comes up unevenly, with a large per ctjnt of sickly plants. This condition is most frequently found where„ the spring plowing is not followed by the harrow' the same day or where the disk was not used in preparing the seed bed and especially when tjjese two conditions are accompanied by a dry, cold ByCultivation. Cultivation should be level and frequent when the corn is small. It may be deep at first, but it must be shallow later. Many assume that there is nothing more to do after the corn is planted for two weeks, or until it is up and large enough for the first cultivation. There are others w-ho believe in harrow-ing and even in cultivation before the corn is up, but on account of the pressure of work neglect it. Where ground is left two weeks and often longer it becomes foul with weeds, which take up the moisture and plant food and also make it difficult to work the corn. The ground becomes packed by the rains and baked by the sun until it is hard and dry. It is especially Important in the case of corn that it should not become stunted when young, as it never fully recovers even under the most favorable conditions. The time td kill w y eeds is before they come up and before they have deprived the corn of moisture and nourishment. Where it is possible to do so it is a good plan to cultivate the corn once before it comes up, following the cultivator with the harrow’. This practice of cultivating the field before the corn is up following the planter marks as a guide, is a good one, and especially on old and badly w’orn ground or heavy clay ground and land that has become foul. It is a common practice with some to harrow corn after It is up, but I prefer to cultivate and harrow as described above, especially on cornstalk ground. Even on stubble ground the harrow does considerable damage ta the young corn. It is a very common mistake to cultivate shallow when the corn is small and “lay it by” with a deep cultivation. The reverse will be more profitable. There is little danger to the roots from deep cultivation the first time and there is great advantage going deep enough to secure a good mulch.

in nearly every school in England the children are being taught the value of saving money. The hoys and gtria are encouraged to invest In the government war loan. The photograph shows how the pennies are collected, in most cases the headmaster of the school makes the collection. The little oues line up. and first the girls and men the boys turn in their money.

NOBILITY HEROES ON HONOR ROLL

Aristocrats Who Have Died for Their Country in Strife of Battle. IS AN INSPIRING CHAPTER 4 - _____ Nearly Fifty British Peers Have Lost Sons Who Would Have Succeeded Them in the Places They Now Hold. London—When the full story of the war is written it will have no more inspiring chapter than that Which describes the magnificent part the sons of our noble houses have played in it —their devotion, their heroism, their splendid deaths for the land they love, says a writer in London Answers. Already, although the war has barely reached its turning point, the list of these heirs to coronets they will never wear is appallingly long. Since the master of Burleigh, eldest son of Lord Balfour of Burleigh, as gallant a soldier as ever bore the historic name of Bruce, perished In the first month of the war, nearly 50 peers have lost the sons who. ought to have succeeded to their honors. These heroes have come from all grades of our peerage. One of them was heir to a dukedom, who, If he had lived, would have been •premier duke, marquis and earl of Ireland. Four were sons of marquises, five had earls for their fathers, seven were heirs to viscounties and 29 were successors to baronies. Six of them were the last heirs to the family honors, and the peerages which should have been theirs are now extinct. The marquis of Lincolnshire, Lords

TAKES HUSBAND’S JOB

This woman is but one of the many thousands of Englishwomen who are today doing every kind, of labor owing to thp absence of their, men folk whohave joined the arm} and are fighting on foreign soil. All the employees of a Peterborough blacksmith having joined the army nnd it being, impossible to secure any local assistance, the lady of the house, the blacksmith’s wife, aids her husband in his work and fits a shoe to a nicety. The photograph shows Mrs. Pogson, wife of the blacksmith, shoeng a horse.

CHILDREN INVEST IN BRITISH WAR LOAN

Knaresborough, Playfaire, Glbbesdale. Rosmead and Staiiford have' now no heibs to follow them, though their sacrifice has not been so great as that of Lord Desborough, who has lost two successive heirs in the war within nine weeks of each other. Win Places on Roll of Honor. In this roll of honor, so far, there are comparatively few names that have won fame in old-time battles, such as Stanley, Percy, Clifford and Choiomondeley—names that recall long-dead generations of warriors. There is little, if any, martial strain in the blood of a Goschen and a Mills, a Playfair and a Robinson; but the bearers of these and many another historic name have fought as gallantly and died as heroically as any armored knight of the age of chivalry. Young Lord Weymouth, a boy of twenty, who died so bravely a few weeks ago, had plenty of fighting blood In his veins and proved himself a worthy descendant of his ancestor, Sir John Thynne, who won his knightly spurs so valiantly on the field of Musselburgh more than three centuries ago. Lord Bridgeport’s heir, who gave up his life one June-day last year, had in his veins the blood of England’s hero. Lord Nelson, and also of that grand old sea dog, Sir Samuel Hood, admiral of the Blue. Lord Spencer Douglas Compton, son of the marquis of Northampton, who died a year ago, could look back to a long array of fighting ancestors. Generation after generation, the Comptons were among the doughtiest warriors of England. There was a Compton in every’battle in the Civil war, including the third earl, who fought so bravely for their king at Edgehill and Banbury and in many another battle. Lord Arthur Hay, heir to his brother, the marquis of Tweeddale, who died in the second month of the war, had one ancestor who fell on Flodden field, and another who commanded a regiment at Marston Moor and Preston; and Viscount Templetown’s heir, who died on May 9, 1915, had many a warrior among his forefathers, including that Upton who covered himself with glory at the siege of Limerick under the standard of our third William. Lord Desmond Fitzgerald. But among all these brave young nobles who hqve given their lives for their king and country there were none braver than Lord Desmond Fitzgerald, heir to the brother, the sixth earl of Leinster, whose death a few weeks ago is so widely deplored. Dying at the age of twenty-seven, Lord Desmond had already written his name large in the annals of the gallant Irish guards. In the severe fighting in the retreat from Mons he bore himself most bravely among the brave, and In all the later fighting his courage and his reckless contempt of t danger amazed and inspired the ranks. He was twice severely wounded but he laughed at his wounds and longed only for a day when he could return to his men. and It was a cruel stroke of fate which, by the explosion of a bomb at Calais, ended a life so full of achievement and promise.

OPIUM BAN BOOMS TRADE

Persia’s Exports Increase Sixfold Since Prohibition Law Went into Effect in China. Rotterdam. —The prohibition of the import of opium in China has been responsible for a big expansion of Persia’s trade with the Dutch East Indies. According to the report for 1915 drawn up by the Persian consul at Rotterdam, that country’s exports to the Dutch colonies in 1913-14 Increased about sixfold, viz., from some $135,000 to $1,186,000. Persian opium is now exported to the Netherlands East Indies, being thence re-exported to Formosa, making up practically the whole of the total figure mentioned.

OWNER OF BEES IS SUED

Neighbor of Indiana Man Says a Number of Them Stung Stock and . Children. Valparaiso, Ind. —E. S. Miller, a 'member of the National Association of Beekeepers and owner of several hundred stands of bees la this county, has

been sued because, it is alleged, some of his bees flew to the home of Haymond Austin, a farmer nearby, and stung the live stock, poultry and children in addition to usurping a water tank. It is asserted in the complaint that if the bees had been properly cared fotr they would not have done this. Austin asks a restraining order that will prevent Miller from keeping the bees so near to the former’s farm. Damages of SSOO also are asked.

WOULD END DEATH PENALTY

Argentinians Urge Change in Law After Executions of Two Murderers. Buenos Aires. —The execution of two confessed murderers here, the first In sixteen years, has caused such a widespread and insistent demand for the abolition of the death penalty in Argentina that two bills have been introduced in congress providing for such abolition. Deputy Bonifacio has presented a bill to the lower house abolishing the death penalty for any and all erimes, and Senator Iberbucca has presented a similar measure In the senate, but extending the abolition to include military offenses.

MORGAN JR. HAS $126,833,000

Doubles His Father’s Wealth in British Munition Orders and War Loans. New York.—J. P. Morgan, from figures learned by the appraisal of his father’s estate, has made as much money during the last two years as the old head of the house made during hi* entire career. The elder Morgan’s estate was appraised last week at $73,149,000. of which $53,684,000 went to the present J. P. Morgan. Nearly all the amount made by the present Morgan was earned through munition orders and commissions on loans, the Morgan firm having received a commission of 2 per cent on all munitions and supplies purchased by the British government.

BLOWN FAR BY BIG BLAST

Peter Ilaceta, captain of a Moran lighter, sitting up in bed in the Jersey City hospital. Raceta was asleep in his cabin, the boat being one of the many vessels towed away from the burning piers of Black Tom island. Jersey City. When about fifty feet from the Statue of Libert} In New York bay there came the -big ammunition explosion. The captain says he was thrown into the vjater straight from his bunk. .He started swimming and found himself under one of the burning docks with flaming vessels, cars and building* around him. He swam across the water to the Liberty Statue and when he had gained sufficient strength hd swam back to one of the piers nean the scene of the explosion and wan pulled out of the water and rushel to the Jersey City hospital.