[AT] Check planting

[DBigdog]

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
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