[AT] Check planting

[Herbert Metz]

Rows were 42" in KS; a few were 40".
As already stated, this was before the days of fertilizers and weed
killers.  Our only fertilizer was from cleaning the cattle barn, corral,
etc and the chicken houses, and spreading it on the less fertile areas.
I can remember Dad enthused with a yield of forty bushel / acre corn, as it
provided a good profit.  Also, remember this was open pollenated   seed
corn, good corn price, no fertilizer cost, no herbicides cost,  low taxes,
and low fuel cost.   Also, no combining cost (shucked by hand) and no very
expensive combine. And no drying costs.  
Certainly some huge differences from todays situations.
Herb

> [Original Message]
> From: DBigdog <DBigdog at columbus.rr.com>
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Date: 12/27/2007 1:16:51 PM
> Subject: Re: [AT] Check planting
>
> It's been a while but around here (central Ohio) check planting was done
on 
> 40" -  42" rows.  It was strictly done for weed control as at that time 
> spray-on herbicides were unheard of.  Cultivation was the only means of
weed 
> control and cross-plowing assured the best coverage of weed control. 
Plant 
> population was not nearly as dense as straight row-planted corn but the 
> gains from weed control made it viable.  Some farmers use it up until the 
> late 50's.  Didn't see it much after that.
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Len Rugen
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2007 12:54 PM
> Subject: Re: [AT] Check planting
>
>
> I've never seen check planted corn, I've seen the equipment and used some
of 
> it in "drill" mode.
>
> I'd suspect the rows were way wider than 30", I seem to remember 42" as
the 
> number, but CRS...
>
> What was "good" yield in the years after the dust bowl?  I'd say 40
bu/acre 
> might have been good in the 40's.  I would guess that there was a lot of 
> open pollenated seed planted.  We can still get that locally and it will
do 
> OK.  I've planted 2nd gen hybrid (IE feed corn) for food plots and had
good 
> looking corn.  I've planted open polliated corn as well.
>
> There was more than one seed per hill, the planter still "drilled" at 
> whatever rate, but the seed accumulated  until the knot on the wire
tripped 
> it.  What commercial fertilizer was often applied with the planter 
> attachment.  Manure was used as far as it went.  After picking, cows were 
> turned in and hay even fed on the field for fertilizer (and weed seed...)
>
> Remember, they often picked this stuff by hand.
>
> Now there usually isn't anything over the field after the planter until
the 
> combine.
>
> Len Rugen