Checkrow Planting

Can one of you old geezers explain how checkrow planting works? What happens when you get to the end of the field? Do you have to move the wire over for the next pass, then run down to the other end of the field and move the other end of the wire over too?
What made this form of planting desirable?

In the days before herbicides you could cultivate in perpendicular directions (east-west and north-south)for better weed control by checkrow planting.

I have seen a checkrow planter but dont really know for sure how it works. I know there is a wire with knots that trips the planter to let corn down into the ground. I don't believe you would have to do anything different on the ends as you would have a marker disc to follow for the next row. The purpose of check rowing was so you could cultivate in both directions, thus do a better job of weed control.

I still have the wires, and the stories from grandpa. I have no idea how those wires worked or what planter they worked with. Perhaps some old timer can talk about it.

You move the wire over on the end where you finished but not on the opposite side. Apparently there is enough slack to make it work. Never watched it being done but asked questions many years ago when I was looking at our old check wire spool.

Go to YouTube. There are videos there.

Hi Firtz: Am I the only one old enough to see it in use and cultivate both ways? Maybe I am the only one awake and online at 4am.. It is something of a learned 'art' in knowing how to Flip the wire over far enough for the next pass. Ya gotta whip the wire each time while moving it so that it moves over as FAR DOWN the LINE as possable. You NEED to FIRST make a marker line at the ends. Drop one of the planter markers onto the ground across the whole end of the field... That marks the location you will place the stake holding the wire each time you move the wire over. The planter tends to keep the wire tight. (assuming a 40 or 80 rod long field) If you keep the wire at about the same tightness AND put the stakes holding the wire in the same marker line ACROSS both ends of the field, you should end up with fairly straight Cross rows. Odd shaped fields make it a lot tougher but if your referance marker across the ends is correct, it will work on odd shaped fields too.
Key points are same tightness on wire at all times and the stake holding the wire is put into that same referance mark across the ends. By the way, the stake should be attached to the wire once and never re-attached farther down the line or your likely to get screwed up.. keeping the stake attached to only one spot on the wire is your referance. Anybody have to learn marching in a large group and keeping the rows of people straight in both directions?? It's similar control to check row planting.. I got to be drill sgt in military for a couple months. Nice to see everone in line both ways... (except for one or two screw up guys who I quickly put on extra K.P.)

You arent the only one who was familiar with the checking of corn. I started cultivating when it was planted with the horses then later got a JD 290 and used that till the 490 when we went to power drop 3 kernals at 39.5 in 40 in rows and that stayed till the early 70s. I planted many acres with the 490 pulled with the B. That was a great outfit. The B could pull the 490 as fast as it could plant quiet tractor could hear the planter and easy to get off and on steer and so forth. My Dad did a great job af setting the stakes when crossing only the first round had some stagger then rest of the field was just good going. Still remember the bump bump when laying it by the last time as by then rain had firmed the ground since crossing. It was great for weed control but the Morning Glories were always fun.

nick in ky , would like to get his planter a roll of wire ,, he hangs out at the case site

Agpilot, the way you describe is the way I remember dad doing it. I was too young to drive the planter but I would walk out to the field after school to watch him plant. How many buttons per minute? I remember dad refering to his speed as 'so many buttons per minute' instead of miles per hour. Jim

its been years since ive check planted anything ,but agpilot gives a good description of what I recall.just curious,, why would you want to check plant any?just to see it done?maybe a demonstration?only thing worse than check planting corn(in my opinion) is chopping cotton!LOL.would be interesting to see how some of the new hybrid corns would do check planted compared to rows though.

can you even BUY check wire anymore? i havent seen a roll in thirty years.

Fritz,

I'd help you, but at age 74 I ain't old enuf to be a geezer.

Those fields sure were pretty at sunrise and sunset...you could line up all kinds of angles.

Like Gene Bender says, after cultivating the 2nd time (crosswise), we'd cultivate the final time (3rd time) lenthwise and since the corn was real tall we would take off the shields and open the throttle and GO! That front end bounced all day long, thump, thump, thump. Fun!

In 1950, central Iowa black soil, my uncle's field looked so good at "layby" he said "Looks like we could hit 90 bu. per acre this year!".

Fritz, you know what "layby" means?

"Geezer"....my posterior.

LA in WI

I seen rolls of old checkwire in rock piles, Kandiyohi county, Minnesota.

Dad checkplanted when I was still home (early-mid 60's). Some of his fields were 120 rods long and about 20 rods wide. We did all the cultivating with C farmall until dad decided to get the F-20 cultivator going again. I got to used that the last couple of years at home. A lot of lifting whencrossing the field. He had about 80 - 100 acres I believe. Like has been said , the corn got pretty tall by the last time through, sometimes as tall as the C. We also had a mounted mower for the C and cut all the hay with it, so I got real good at changing from mower to cultivator nd back. Actually, I kind of miss those times.

we do it at our tractor show
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Other replies covered it pretty well, just a few items from my experience.
My Dad planted with horses pulling a JD 999 until his last year. Sold his horses fall of 57, them bought a 290. The Regular was too wide to use wire, so switched to "power drop", still 40 inch spacing, but not cross checked. He always planted the headlands, 8 rows, first, using the drill function, 1 seed every 10 inches or so.
Row closest to fence made a good line for placing the stake. When planting the main rows, stopped at last button before the #8 head row.
Of course when cultivating, some of the head rows got run over while turning around, but third time through turned in same spot, so didn't knock down all that much.
Third time through was a rough ride, as second time was crosswise, & wide open in "hi gear" with the Regular was a whopping 3 or 4 mph.
Discing down those ridges was a rough ride too. He insisted that going diagnally did a better job of cutting stalks. Get the wrong angle, both tractor wheels hit the ridge at same time, or slight shallower angle hit ridge at different times, real rocking motion.
WJ

I don"t get what you mean about flipping the wire over far enough for the next pass. I remember Dad check planting in the 50s. The wire was always on the planted side of the field, the turn at each end of the field was made away from the wire, and the wire simply staked behind the planter after the turn was made.