[AJD] Planting Corn

[Michael Ostrander]

Good evening all-
A week ago Saturday, I experienced a first.  The GP rally that we are
hosting in a couple of weeks is to be a more active show than the last one.
So, we plowed a 200 x 200 area with a 1928 GP with two way mounted plow, a
1937 BW with two way mounted plow (my oldest son), and a 1939 H with single
bottom mounted plow.  I worked the ground up with a 10 ft disk that has to
be raised and lowered with a jack since the hydraulic hoses spew oil.  We
got it into a pretty good powder despite the 7.2" of rain we had 2 weeks
earlier.  Then we fiddled and adjusted a 3 row mounted corn planter on a
1935 GP and decided to check plant our nearly 1 acre field.  It was truly a
sight to see.  Neither my dad nor I have ever check planted corn and could
not find anyone else that had.  We look through Dad's literature and found
the corn planter book and contained therein was step by step instructions on
how to do it.  So we read a sentence, started the procedure, stopped, read
the next sentence, started the procedure....well you get the picture.  I had
questions about how the corn was going to come out evenly but off we went.
At one point the Doffler button caught on the trip mechanism and broke the
wire.  Fortunately for me, I have been fixing things with baling wire and
duck tape for many years.  So I cut a couple of lengths, braided it, then
tied the buttons and loop right into the original wire.  It was within a
quarter of an inch and trips the planter so I was quite pleased.  I finished
the main part of the field and then read the book as to how to do the
headlands.  Instead of check planting the headlands, an adjustment is made
to the planter and it drills the corn into the headlands.  After 6 days, the
corn was popping through.  Today you could see all the rows clearly.  It is
going to be a challenge to do the cross-cultivation since the cross
plantings are a few inches different.  I asked Dad at the time how we get
the stake in exactly the right position.  Well, we learned that we didn't
get it exactly right.  Its not so bad that it wont be entertaining though.
So, now we have one more area to plow so we can demonstrate planting and
cultivating during the show.  Should be a good time.  Any of you on the list
are invited with or without an exhibit.  Maybe I will post a few pictures to
the website.
Michael

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