Do you call it plowing corn or cultivating
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Topic: Do you call it plowing corn or cultivating
Posted By: Fred in Pa
Subject: Do you call it plowing corn or cultivating
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 6:58am
After seeing post on Disc - Harrow . Growing up on the farm it was always called plowing corn . So in your area do u call it cultivating .
------------- He who dies with the most toys is, nonetheless ,still dead. If all else fails ,Read all that is PRINTED.
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Replies:
Posted By: Don(MO)
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 7:09am
We called it plowing corn around here and when I was just a kid running over the corn for the first time using the fenders in low gear it was real hard not to fall asleep and then it was plowing out the corn. LOL
------------- 3 WD45's with power steering,G,D15 fork lift,D19, W-Speed Patrol, "A" Gleaner with a 330 corn head,"66" combine,roto-baler, and lots of Snap Coupler implements to make them work for their keep.
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Posted By: Ranse
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 7:36am
Corn is not the only thing you can cultivate. You can't call it plowing corn if it's tobacco, or beans, or whatever. I remember using the little disc up front to throw ridges up to the potatoes. I think those things may still be around. We haven't grown potatoes in years.
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Posted By: Ted J
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 7:50am
Yep,,,,,,first you plowed the ground, to turn it over. Then you disked it to get the chunks down. Then you used a drag harrow to drag it down to a nice flat bed. Then you planted the corn / beans / tobacco / spuds / etc.... so you could Cultivate it, by getting rid of the weeds and piling good dirt up around the roots. We'd cultivate the corn until it was up against the axles on the CA.
Don, it was a piece of cake cultivating when I was a youngster......you just let the horses have their heads and they went straight up and down the rows. Then we got the CA and I started that "cultivating out" of the corn!! 
Thanks for this thread Fred. It's like the difference in 'ditches' and 'sloughs' around the country!
------------- "Allis-Express" 19?? WC / 1941 C / 1952 CA / 1956 WD45 / 1957 WD45 / 1958 D-17
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Posted By: nella(Pa)
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 8:28am
Posted By: Dick L
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 8:43am
Cultivate corn and beans growing up with two row (cultivators) mounted on the tractors. Never heard of a mounted plow to get the weed out between the rows of corn or beans. When I first heard of plowing corn I thought they were plowing down the corn for some reason. Like plowing corn stocks to fit the ground and sow oats. I growed ups dumb I guesses
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Posted By: WF owner
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 8:46am
Cultivating here. Ranked high on the most boring tractor job list. I learned quickly not to look behind you.
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Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 9:21am
Posted By: jiminnd
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 9:24am
We cultivated, remember checked corn, cultivated four times with a WC and 2 row. Long days.
------------- 1945 C, 1949 WF and WD, 1981 185, 1982 8030, unknown D14(nonrunner)
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Posted By: Harvey/pa
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 9:35am
All the old guys around here called it "working the corn" I don't remember anyone saying they cultivated corn and never heard plowing corn, of course Fred lived in the southern part of the county and couldn't get out over the hills till he got bigger!...Harvey
P.S. Fred, did you get it running?
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Posted By: cwhit
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 9:47am
Like Steve said, the T was silent . Biggest improvement was the AM fender mounted radio. Part of the reason for my not so good hearing today..
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Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 9:51am
In the 1920s my dad called it plowing the corn because the shovels went 4 to 6" into the soil and while cutting down weeds also cut away corn roots to the point of my dad observing the corn wilting soon after he had passed it.
Gerald J.
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Posted By: Sugarmaker
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 9:54am
I had never heard of plowing corn, but now understand what your talking about. We called all of the weed killing tillage "cultivating". Dad was moving to weed killers at about that time for corn. But we had to cultivate about 10 acres of Cabbage with a G and or a B. Regards, Chris
------------- D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet.
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Posted By: john(MI)
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 10:43am
I guess we called it cultivating because we used cultivators!
------------- D14, D17, 5020, 612H, CASE 446
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Posted By: darrel in ND
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 10:47am
Always been "cultivating" in my neck of the woods. Unheard of doing that now, though. All round up ready corn that gets sprayed. Darrel
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Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 11:15am
...so how many of you "old timers" harrowed corn? Dad talked about it.It would tear out sprouting weeds and leave most of the corn.That was in the horse days. Don't know that it continued in tractor days.The WC on steel could do so much more in a day than 2 teams.For the younger guys,you had to switch out teams every little bit/so often to let them rest. Took a long time to work a little ground. I've not been there but heard about it.
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Posted By: Don(MI)
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 11:41am
Never heard of plowing corn, sounds like it's rolling over a plow furrow and turning the corn under
------------- Galatians 5:22-24
"I got a pig at home in a pen and corn to feed him on, All I need is a pretty little girl to feed him when I'm gone!"
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Posted By: cabinhollow
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 3:38pm
And the last past through the field is called what?
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Posted By: ILGLEANER
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 4:04pm
When you cullivated it the last time, you were laying it by. I have heard people say plowing corn.
------------- Education doesn't make you smart, it makes you educated.
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Posted By: Fred in Pa
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 4:30pm
Dad talked about spike harrow for corn with horses .
------------- He who dies with the most toys is, nonetheless ,still dead. If all else fails ,Read all that is PRINTED.
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Posted By: Fred in Pa
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 4:31pm
cabinhollow wrote:
And the last past through the field is called what?
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Harvest
------------- He who dies with the most toys is, nonetheless ,still dead. If all else fails ,Read all that is PRINTED.
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Posted By: JW in MO
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 4:55pm
First pass with the cultivator was called plowing corn at home. Back before my grandfather had a rotary hoe he used a spike tooth harrow on hard ground to break up the crust on corn fields.
------------- Maximum use of available resources!
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Posted By: cabinhollow
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 5:14pm
ILGLEANER wrote:
When you cullivated it the last time, you were laying it by. I have heard people say plowing corn. |
Yes, here it was said "layby" but it would sound like it has about 15 letters.
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Posted By: john(MI)
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 5:38pm
I used a spike tooth harrow on my sweet corn. That was probably 20 years ago.I used the Farmall A I had at the time. It sure was pretty looking back and seeing those two rows all cleaned up.
------------- D14, D17, 5020, 612H, CASE 446
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Posted By: HD6GTOM
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 5:41pm
Both of my granddad's, one from southern Iowa, one from northern Iowa, called it plowing corn. We were far more modern in the 1960's, and called it cultivating corn, last pass with the cultivator, the corn was layd by.
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Posted By: Pat the Plumber CIL
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 6:14pm
My older brother and I called it death by boredom . D-17 ser I wide front with front mounted cultivator. No power steering , did not look forward to turning around at the end of the field.
------------- You only need to know 3 things to be a plumber;Crap rolls down hill,Hot is on the left and Don't bite your fingernails
1964 D-17 SIV 3 Pt.WF,1964 D-15 Ser II 3pt.WF ,1960 D-17 SI NF,1956 WD 45 WF.
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Posted By: Ted J
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 7:15pm
SteveM C/IL wrote:
...so how many of you "old timers" harrowed corn? Dad talked about it.It would tear out sprouting weeds and leave most of the corn.That was in the horse days. Don't know that it continued in tractor days.The WC on steel could do so much more in a day than 2 teams.For the younger guys,you had to switch out teams every little bit/so often to let them rest. Took a long time to work a little ground. I've not been there but heard about it. | I was one of them Steve.. I was about 7 or 8 at the time. I didn't mind with the horses. You could fall asleep between the ends and it didn't bother anything. You let the horses have their heads and they went right down the rows, you were just along for the ride...They'd stop at the end of the row though and you had to wake up and turn them around. With the horses, (Dusty and Babe) we'd still cultivate. Had a 2 row cultivator and the drivers seat was off set to the right side, so you were over the right hand side, atop the right row. When we got the CA it was like...........WOW!! I remember dad saying that NOW you can stay out there ALL DAY and cultivate. No more stopping and giving the team a break, especially when it was so hot. WE didn't get a break,,,,,,,if nothing else, clean the barn or get feed down. That was AFTER you wiped off the harness and took the harness off and hung it up and wiped the underside of sweat. Then you fed the horses so they could eat WHILE you were rubbing them down! The CA WAS easier, all you had to do was refill the gas, check the oil and grease it. Didn't take long at all, but I still like the horses better...somehow they appreciated you. The "Good Ole Days" YOU BET CHER SWEET ,,,,,,,,yep!! BUT,,,,,plowing was done with the WD45....thank God!!! That was one miserable job with the horses. I don't know how dad got the rows so straight!!?? I could never do that.
------------- "Allis-Express" 19?? WC / 1941 C / 1952 CA / 1956 WD45 / 1957 WD45 / 1958 D-17
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Posted By: Roger (NE)
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 7:22pm
My Dad and Uncle always called it using the tractor mounted cultivator to "plow corn". This was in the 50's and 60's. And as stated in previous posts the third time was always called "laying by". Guess I figured these terms were originated from the days when they farmed with horses? As I remember, it was always "cultivating" to me. Once planting was done, one WD had the cultivator mounted on it for the rest of the summer and the other one had a number 3 sickle mower on it. Neither were removed until the corn was gone over 3 times and all cuttings of hay were put up. Running the cultivator was quite a job for a 10 year old kid as I recall. My Dad would get up at 4 am and head for the field and he, my uncle and I would switch off until around 9 PM before the tractor was shut off for the day. I usually had most of the day shift as there was hay being put up at the same time. Sometime during the years I was in high school (mid 60's) we added Char Lynn power steering to the WD we used for cultivating. What an improvement!!!! Also had a 200 series cultivator for the D17 that we could quickly install if needed. Since it was used for most of the other farming tasks the D17 saw very little in the way of cultivating duties. Apologize for the long post...got to typing and kept going.
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Posted By: bigal121892
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 7:44pm
In our area, it was cultivating, with the last time called laying it by. Haven't cultivated this century. Best thing for the ground, was parking the cultivator.
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Posted By: Calvin Schmidt
Date Posted: 22 Nov 2018 at 7:57pm
In Canada we have different definitions and names ! Plowing is done with a moldboard plow usually after harvest. Cultivating is what you do to prepare the seed bed. If you are working between the rows of a growing crop it is called SCUFFLING !!! 60 years ago it was with a D-14 and a two row mid mount. Until 15 years ago it was 6 rows behind a D-17IV diesel and 500 acres of dark red kidney beans
Happy Thanksgiving today. In Canada Thanksgiving is the second Monday of October.
------------- Nothing is impossible if it is properly financed
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Posted By: Wayne180d
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2018 at 7:33pm
We called it cultivating and the second time you were laying it by.
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Posted By: darrel in ND
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2018 at 8:19pm
SteveM C/IL wrote:
...so how many of you "old timers" harrowed corn? Dad talked about it.It would tear out sprouting weeds and leave most of the corn.That was in the horse days. Don't know that it continued in tractor days.The WC on steel could do so much more in a day than 2 teams.For the younger guys,you had to switch out teams every little bit/so often to let them rest. Took a long time to work a little ground. I've not been there but heard about it. |
A few years before I moved down to the farm I'm on now (father in laws place) they had quit raising corn, because of the labor intensity of it. Then a few years after I was there, the brother in law decided we should raise corn again, but went to round up ready corn. I was petty enthused about it, until the day that my father in law decided he had to harrow the corn. I wanted to beat him. He was sure that he was going to get some of the weeds. My thoughts were: #1 it's RR corn, and we are going to spray it anyway. #2 How's a harrow with spike teeth every six inches, and the spike being only half inch thick going to "get any weeds", and #3 if the harrow teeth DO get weeds, they are obviously going to get some corn too. I think all of the above held true, and I am still pissed off at that old school mentality. Darrel
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Posted By: Rayhowling
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2018 at 9:12pm
I have to agree with Calvin on scuffling corn. In the 1940's my Dad scuffled corn with a 1 row cultivator on the Allis Chalmers B than bought a new Allis CA in 1956 with a 2 row scuffller and he used to scuffle for several neighbors before there was atrazine used for spraying corn for control of weeds. He would scuffle corn with discs on each side of the row when corn was 2-3 inches high then put cultivator points on when corn 6-8 inches high and then put the discs on and them on so they would throw the ground around the corn plants and drive in 3rd gear and you would have 4- 5 inchs around the corn stalks and cover the weeds.
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Posted By: Nate (OH)
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2018 at 9:45pm
SteveM C/IL wrote:
Cultivate..."cullivate" |
x2 lol
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Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2018 at 10:53pm
....for all you skuffelers and plowers...page 261 in Norm's book calls them "row crop cultivators" as named by AC so I reckon ya'll have been cultivating all them years whether you know it or not!!!
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Posted By: Dave H
Date Posted: 24 Nov 2018 at 8:16am
We cultivated it until the last tie, that was called laying it by.
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Posted By: truckerfarmer
Date Posted: 24 Nov 2018 at 9:17am
SteveM C/IL wrote:
....for all you skuffelers and plowers...page 261 in Norm's book calls them "row crop cultivators" as named by AC so I reckon ya'll have been cultivating all them years whether you know it or not!!! | X2 When you get the manuals, you get a manual for a cultivator, not a scuffler or a plow.
------------- Looking at the past to see the future. '53 WD, '53 WD45, WD snap coupler field cultivator, #53 plow,'53 HD5B dozer
Duct tape.... Can't fix stupidity. But will muffle the sound of it!
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Posted By: Fred in Pa
Date Posted: 24 Nov 2018 at 10:14am
We called last pass with Cultivator HILLING ,H Farmall 4 th gear ,wide open ,if you where paying attention .
------------- He who dies with the most toys is, nonetheless ,still dead. If all else fails ,Read all that is PRINTED.
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Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 24 Nov 2018 at 5:29pm
Didn't know an H would pull anything in 4th let alone in the field!!!
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Posted By: Dennis J OPKs
Date Posted: 24 Nov 2018 at 7:02pm
In eastern Ne bottoms it's amazing how many times we went over the corn. It was planted with a lister. If the weeds got bad we used a "go devil" which used rolling discs and mounded the ridges even more. Then they were harrowed down or rotary hoed and cultivated 2 more times. Sometimes "laying it by" had to be done when it was hot because the corn was half-way up the radiator. Had to be alert in 3rd gear on a WD or WD 45. This was obviously before round-up.
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Posted By: Dave (Mid-MI)
Date Posted: 24 Nov 2018 at 8:05pm
In Michigan we cultivated. Our cultivators had guards, instead of fenders, for the first cultivation. And our corn grew on stalks, not stocks.
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Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 24 Nov 2018 at 10:50pm
...here in Illinois our corn grows on the cob.....
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Posted By: LouSWPA
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2018 at 12:10am
SteveM C/IL wrote:
Didn't know an H would pull anything in 4th let alone in the field!!! |
well, I wont argue that it will, or will not, but I in awe that when Fred was doing it there was any soil left in the field! I'll bet there was 4 foot rooster tails.
------------- I am still confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27
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Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2018 at 12:11am
True Lou. He's a lot like tool time Tim Taylor.
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Posted By: BrianC
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2018 at 6:31am
We called it cultivating the corn. Sweet corn, circa 1968. That was the job of the Allis Chalmers C with the two row cultivator attachment (80 series). And the main herbicide back then was atrazine, when corn was small.
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Posted By: hillmonkey
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2018 at 9:07am
Fred in Pa wrote:
We called last pass with Cultivator HILLING ,H Farmall 4 th gear ,wide open ,if you where paying attention . |
Sounds familiar,my brothers H was a power house stronger than the neighbors M said my 8 year old butt dyno.WE pulled a ground driven manure spreader wide open in 4th,full load would be gone in 30 yards that way we could get back to the barn quicker to do more stupid stuff.
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Posted By: JoeO(CMO)
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2018 at 9:13am
Posted By: wfmurray
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2018 at 3:48pm
Plowed with a mule when i was small.When time to lay by dad would put a large sweep on the single foot plow and run a center furrow between the rows.
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