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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (June 4, 1914)
4 HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION Expert Discusses Howio Grow Corn -Tells of Soil Variations Professor Seudder of Oregon Agricultural College Gives Pointers to Farmers. j&wfp t ' fWf9'' It is not to long ago that: "It can't be done" was the 6 general attitude in the North i west when tbe-discussion turned s to raising and growing com. $ But eves the men from Mis $ souri have been shown. Condi S ditions in Oregon are duplicated in other sections of the North 3 west, hence Professor Seuddei'i interesting article with the ac- companying illustration is worth more than cursory attention. This article was written special Q ly for the Home and Farm Magazine Section. S$SS$J'S$S$5$ BY H. D. SCUDDEB Agronomist Oregon Agricultural College. FROM the physical standpoint, corn must have a well drained, well aerated soil, sufficiently loamy and mellow, with abundance of organic matter, to warm up quickly in tic spring and permit rapid growth through out the season. In Western Oregon, particularly, corn should not be plant ed on poorly drained, wet, heavy, cold soils, for in combination with tho coli1 nights of this part of the state, thii condition will prevent a successful crop The lighter, warmer soils are the bet ter type in every part of the state since they offset to a certain extent the low temperatures of' tho growing season. In the Willamette Valley the sandy river loams well manured, or the well drained lilt loams of the valley floor, If deeply plowed, thoroughly cultivated and amply manured, afford excellent soil conditions for corn. The "beaver dam" of tho valley, if well drained, will produce excellent silage crops, while the red hill soils, if deeply plowed and manured and kept thoroughly cul tivated to conserve moisture, will give very good results. Tho sticky soils or "adobe," while very difficult to han dle, as a rule produce excellent crops of corn. Under these favorable Boil conditions, a properly grown crop in the Willamette Valley should produce corn at the rate of 40 to 100 bushels per acre (although of course this would not necessarily be fully ripened and well matured corn), or from 10 to 20 tons per acre of first class silage. Types of Sandy Loams. In the Southern Oregon division, iu addition to tha warmer growing season, oro found almoct universally tho light- D. Seudder, Agronomist at Oregon , Experiment Station and Author of ! the Interesting Article Herewith. er types of sandy loams, which, if kept well supplied with organic matter, and in some cases with phosphorus in the form of commercial applications, will produco yields of from 50 to 100 bushels per acre of matured corn, and excellent fields of silage. In the Southern Oregon division, in addition to the warmer growing season, re found almost universally the light er types of sandy loams, which, if kept well supplied with organic matter, and in some cases with phosphorus in the form of commercial applications, will "flfta..I....M,.-,J E. Jough Belief Map of Oregon feaowaj Vura3, C60i.au.csl md Agncaltuial Div.slcns.. Eonndarlea cf Wi.-i Follow County Lii'.cc. (From Portland BrancS Weatter Bureaa Mcdel). bushels per acre of matured corn, and excellent yields of silage. In the Coast division, the sandy loams along the riveTS, or the marsh land mucks, or the red hill loams, whore they are sheltered from the wind, are all soils and favor corn production. Added to this, there is the long growing season and abundant summer rains, the result being that very heavy yields ef soiling and silage corn can be grown from 15 to 25 toES per acre but the maturing of grain is practically im possible. On this account, late-matnring fodder-producing varieties should be avoided. Locations protected from the winds are also advantageous. Columbia Basin. In the Columbia-Basin the two chief soil types, the sandy loams and the silt loams, are both very favorable for corn production. The coarse sandy types can not be used successfully, however, except when very heavily manured, or increased in organic mat ter in other ways. Corn matures nice ly throughout this section, and 50 bushels per acre of ripened grain may be obtained on the irrigated lands, or 15 to 5 bushels may be secured on. the dry farming lands according to the rainfall which ranges from 10 to 23 inches. In the Blue Monntain and Centra Oregon regions, both the sandy loams and the black silt loams are well adapt ed to corn production, but in these di visions the climatic conditions are the limiting factors. Indeed, in the Wal lowa, Grande Konde and Baker Val leys, in the Harney and Klamath conn- trios, the crop has not yet been suc cessfully etsablished, although trials of the hardier varieties give promise of success up to elevations of 3,000 feet. It will not be possible to mature corn well in any part of these regions, but excellent yields of green feed and silage have been obtained. Plant Food Requirement. The special plant food requirement for corn is an excess of nitrogen. In soils very rich in nitrogen, such as new marsh soils or rich blck bottom lands or clover or alfalfa sods heavily ma tured, wheTe wheat or other cereals would make sc excessive a growth of straw aB to prevent a satisfactory yield of grain, corn finds nst the con ditions it thrives upon. The corn crop is what we may call a "gToss feeder;" that is, it wants on amplitude of coarse organic matter, such as barnyard manure, to give its maximum return. Abundance of organic matter has a marked effect upon corn for several reasons. It produces the pbyuical con ditions desired a quick warming, well aerated mellow seed bed ttat absorbs f-f- and retains moisture and is easily cul tivated. On the oth?r hand, it has a very marked effect in making avail able the mineral plant food elements of the soil, which corn requires, and, perhaps even more iniKirtant, stimu lates those bacteria activities which bring about nitrification, thus causing tho manufacture of large amounts of the suluable nitrates which become available in midsummer just at tlve time when corn is making its maximum growth, when other eereals have prac tically matured. Then, too, organic mat ter such as barnyard manure contains in itself large amounts of the impor tant plant foods required by the crop in a readily available form. A 50-bnshel crop of corn takes from the soil 74 pounds of nitrogen, 2C pounds of phos phoric acid and 42 pounds of potash. Next in importance to the need of the corn crop for organic matter and nitrogen is its requirement for phos phorus. On soils that have been long and heavily cropped, or on sandy soils that are iiaturally rather low in phos phorus, the application of 160 pounds per acre of superphosphate or 200 pounds of steamed bone meal, once every three or four years in the rota tion, will likely prove profitable and decidedly worth trying, if the fertility of the soil is low. It should be fully understood, however, that applications of phosphorus alone are not recom mended; that is, such an application should be made only as a supplement to barnyard manures or other sources of organic matter, such as clover or alfalfa residues. An excellent method for the use of phosphorus applications to corn is to add 40 ponnds oi acid phosphate to every ton of manure ap plied. Advice on Soils. On bcaverdam soils, or the very sandy irrigated soils of Eastern Oregon, ap plication of potash in commercial form will prove of value. It might be made in the same way as phosphorus, by adding 40 pounds of kainit to every ton of manure applied, or in the case of the bcaverdam giving a straight ap plication of 300 or 400 pounds of kainit per aero every third or fourth year, when the crop comes around in the rotation. On the soils of the Willamette Val ley and Coast divisions, which are al most universally lacking in lime and therefore sour, the application of this soil amendment will prove of value to the corn crop directly, and indirectly through the effect upon the preceding leguminous crop. The effoct of lime in correcting acidity, in making the potassium and phosphorus of the soil more readily available, in increasing ..; ms. - i'.if'-is '; bacterial activities, and in increasing tho friabilty of the heaver soils all pf these are benefcial to the corn crop, while for the preceding legume, upon which the eorn crop is so dependent, tho effect upon the nitrogen gathering bacteria is of paramount importance. The application of 2 to 3 tons of the ground limestone every six or eight years in these two divisions of the stato will unquestionably prove profit able wherever the ground limestone may be secured and laid down at the farmer's station for an outlay of ap proximately $2.50 per ton. Lime is seldom required in the Southern Ore gon division, and not at all through the Eastern Oregon divhions. flnpnlf ffnnlltf ti fS lima. nnA An swpar nr yell ftt him. Ho is gentleman u; iaaum-i, aoa tarmia ue treated ai bucd. Paddle Your Own Canoe Fishing, Taddling and Vacation Time will soon be here. An "old Town Canoe" will double your pleasure for years to come. It will get you out into the open air away from the common haunts of men give yon rest and ex ercise in one. Send for catalogue of We have recently received a car load of "Old Town Canoes'.' and can offer a large assortment of models and color for your selection at very low price The Beebe Company 182 Morrison Street, Portland, Oregon. Astoria By The Sea WHERE BIVEB, BAIL AND OCEAN MEET. For Astoria, Warrenton, Flavel or New Astoria Property, eall on or writ to A. B, OTBTJS, 386 Commercial St, Astoria, Oregon.