Notes from Hickman County

"It does very good work where there is nothing to do." The above was said by a neighbor concerning a 14-tooth harrow. The recommendation induced me to try the 14-tooth harrow. I had used the double shovel, the shovel cultivator, the little 5 shovel plow and the disc cultivator for working corn.  If I could see a place for something else, a small plow that one horse could pull when I worked it, I concluded the 14-tooth cultivator would fit the bill.

I liked the plow because "it does good work where there is nothing to do." I like to keep my ground so there is nothing to do, as my neighbors would put it.

The field of corn that is full of weeds and the ground hard means too much to do.  The theory that four plowings are enough for a piece of corn doesn't go with me, though it keeps me moving to keep it that way.  Weed seeds sprout fast and a crust forms after every rain.  The young weeds must be killed, and the crust must be broken to keep water for the corn and to have nothing to do.

Not many farmers in my community believe in frequent, shallow cultivation, at least they do not practice it.  They prepare the land very well, do good breaking and prepare a good seedbed.  But, they plant corn that has been selected from the crib and never test it at all before planting.

Good deep breaking before planting and frequent, shallow cultivation 'till the corn is blown down too bad by the wind or 'till there are roasting ears in the field is a fine way to handle a corn crop.

"It does very good work where there is nothing to do" and "You are 50 years behind in your farming" are two phrases I have heard frequently during the last 3 years, the first being said of the 14-tooth harrow; the 2nd concerning the old fashioned "bull tongue plow."

There is required to support an acre of corn a very great amount of water, and much of that water should be stored during spring rains and kept for use during the dry, hot summer. The "bull tongue plow" is a good implement with which to store the water.  When the ground has been well plowed with a turning plow and the planting time is near, take a good bull tongue with a long point in it (something like 18 inches and with two mules re-break as deep as they can pull it.  It is slower than a disc harrow but better since a hard rain will not pack the ground.  I know of no better way to pack a piece of land than to pulverize it very fine with a disc harrow and have a hard rain on it.  And, if you have planted your corn before the rain, consequently, a bad crop.  Also hard packed ground loses water very fast.  But, where you have used the bull tongue your ground will not pack.  It will hold a great quantity of water which will not get away fast.  You will get a good stand of corn if your land is good, and your prospects are fine for a good crop.