[AT] Check planting

[charlie hill]

I'm not sure I understand the need for check planting.  My knowledge of 
planting corn around here only goes back to the early 50's but I think it 
was done the same then as in earlier years.  The same proceedure was used 
for horse drawn and for tractor.  Most of the tractors were Farmall  A's 
Allis B's and a few JD M's etc.
The corn was planted on relatively flat rows.  The hills weren't as close 
together as they are now but seems to me that they were about 12" or less 
apart.  When the corn was small it was cultivated one row at a time and the 
row was gradually built up by pulling dirt from the middles up onto the row. 
Excess grass and weeds that the plows couldn't get were done by hand with 
weeding hoes.  Once the corn got big enough to "lay by" (last time the 
tractor could get through the field without tearing the corn down) it had 
started to shade out the middles and weed control was not that big a 
problem, usually.  In severe weed situations we might hoe it again but most 
of the time after lay by it had to fend for it's self.

Some of the fertilizer was put in the row under the seed at planting time. 
Then it was "side dressed" from a tractor mounted hopper during plowing.  As 
Farmerbeal said, that took some time because of stopping to fill the hopper. 
I don't think ours would hold more than maybe 200 lbs.   By the time I came 
along in the 50's the small farmers like us (30 to 50 acres) had started 
using custom applicators to put out liquid nitrogen.  That was done with 
high crop tractors (seems to me that most of them were Fords of some sort). 
They pulled a rig that had one tine for each row and the nitrogen was 
injected through the tine into the ground.  I used to love to watch those 
guys.  With a B Allis you cultivated at a slow walk.  These guys were flying 
low.  I guess close to 10 mph and usually dragging down the tops of the corn 
pretty bad but it didn't seem to hurt it.  The corn was usually about 3 feet 
high when they came.

What was the need to check plant?  Was that done in areas with severe weed 
and grass problems or was it just another way that kind of a regional thing?

Charlie


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Farmerbeal at aol.com>
To: <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2007 5:53 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] Check planting


>I realize I'm much older than most you guys but I planted many acres in
> checked rows. We didn't have herbicides so had to control weeds with the
> cultivator. Dad did all the planting untill I got a 4row planter after 
> WWII. He would
> plant 12 A a day(10 Hrs. was all the horse could take) with a 2 row 
> planter
> with horses. When I started planting when I came home from the war I 
> managed to
> plant 40 A. checking and adding fert. That Fert. was what took the time. 
> We
> had to add fert every round (8o rod rows) Your speed was limited   because 
> it
> would drop the corn out off the row if you went too fast.
> Farmerbeal
>
>
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