Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-02-12
The farm aud firesiae.
PROFITABLE COTTON PLANTING.
THE FURdAN FORMULA AGAIN.
From the RALEIGH Ne,cs and Observer


ing in Georgia, as recorded by the Atlanta
Constitution. Seventy-fve planters parti-
cipated in the trial. A fertilizer company
in the State had offered $500 in gold for the
best yield of cotton made on ground enrich
ed with their fertilizer, and four Jersey
bulls for the best yield produced by clubs.
The highest yield was 1,345 pounds OF lint
cotton to the acre, or three and one-half
bales of $50 pounds each. The lowest yield
was 4so pounds, or bale to the acre: Inc ,
average of the seventy-fve farmers was
TIA pounds, or nearly two bales to the acre.
To secure this, they used an average OF SsS
pounds of the fertilizer, which cost $l5.54.
The cotton brought $69.66, leaving net
profit of $44.12 to the acre, the cotton seed
nearly paying for the cultivation.
"At bale to the acre above the cost OF
the fertilizer, any farmer can get rich"
SAYS the Consultation, and the seventy-tive
made more than that average. The returns
from the State of Georgia show that on an
average three and a half acres were required
to produce bale, or seven acres under the
old method, to secure what the new method
produced from one acre demonstration OF
the profits Of ''improved farming" which
will not be lost on the planters of the cotton
belt. The corn premiums produced results
equally gratifying. There were sixteen
contestants, and the yield was eight y-one
bushels to the acre, the first premium being
taken with 1164 bushels. The interest in
these contests, and their success prove that
the Southern planters are abandoning the
loose, old plantation methods, and are be-
ginning to see the profit and comfort in
small farms we'll titled.
In this connection we have thought it
we'll to reproduce the Furman Formula
which we printed last year and the year
before, with decided benefit we have under
stood to many of the farmers of this State.
It is given below:
"When l determined to 90 to farming,
five years ago." said Mr.. Furman, II saw
that it would not do to farm in the old way.
/ saw farmers around me getting poorer
every day, though they worked like slaves.
I saw them starving their land 50 that each
year the yield was scantier and their farms
less valuable I saw that it was still the
plow following the axe, and that as fast as
the farmer starved out piece of land ne
cleared out a new piece. Worse than all,
I saw that my own land rented to small
farmers
WAS 35 PER CENT. POORER AND LESS
VALUABLE
than it was few years ago, and that it
would soon cease to pay me rent. knew
that Georgia was blest with the best con-
ditions of seasons and soil, and that if prop
erly treated it would yield large results
III therefore selected siXty-tive acres of
the poorest land I had and went to work.
The first thing, of course, was to enrich the
soil. TO do this, there was but one way, to
feed, and give it more food than the crops
! had taken from it, and above all to give it
proper food. knew that certain phosphate
ic manures stimulated the soil SO that it
produced heavy crops for while and then
fell off. I wanted none of these. l did not
believe in soil analysis. That was not exact
enough.
"What I wanted was to know exactly
what perfect cotton plant took from the
soil. That ascertained, then to restore to
the soil exactly those elements in larger
quantity than the crop had abstracted them:
This is the basis of intensive farming, and
it will always give land that is richer year
after year. 1 had cotton plant analyzed,
and found that needed eight elements in
nv manure, of which commercial fertilizers
only furnished three and the soil only one.
Therefore determined to buy chemicals and
mix them with humus, much decayed
leaves, stable manure and cotton seed till |
had secured exactly what was needed. l
| did so, and at last produced perfect COM
post for cotton. I then aScertained that my
crop of eight bales had taken out of each
acre of my land as much of the constituents
of cotton as was held in $50 pounds of my
compost on each acre, restoring double what
the crop of the year before had taken out.
The result was that l made four bales extra.
| then restored double what the twelve
bales had taken out and made twenty-three
bales. I doubled the restorative the next
year and got torty-seven bales. l doubled
again, and this year have at least eighty
bales.
"The manure cost me $3.50 thousand
pounds. The first year put 500 pounds to
the acre-cost 81 80 an acre, or Sill for sixty
acres. But my crop rose from eight to
twelve bales, the extra four bales giving me
5000 surplus, or $50 net on my manure.
Next year my manure u 900 pounds to the
acre) cost 1895; but my crop increased to
twenty-three bales from eight on unma-
nured land. These extra bales gave me
$3.50 or net profit on the manure of $5l5.
The next year used 1000 pounds per acre,
at cost of S7.25 an acre, or S471 for total.
But my crop went from eight to forty-seven
bales, giving an increased income of 81 800.
This year l used 1900 pounds on an acre,
costing S14.5O or S642 for total manure. But
my crop is at least eighty bales with this
manure, where it was eight without. This
increase of seventy-two bales is worth $3,-
GOO Deduct cost of manure 1910 and we
have S2,660 as the profit on use of manure"
"And then the land is SO much richer"
"Certainly. It is worth 500 an acre
where it was formerly worth Sc. You must
credit the manure with this.
81 shall double my manuring next year,
putting 5000 pounds to the acre. | believe
I will get $50 bales from the sixty-five acres.
l hope to push it up to three bales an acre.
l have few acres on which l put 10000
pounds of compost as an experiment, and
every acre of it will give me three bales
this year.
THE FORMULA FOR THE COMPOST.
"Here is my formula: Take thirty-bushels
of wel-rotted stable manure, or Well-rotted
organic matter, as leaves, muck, etc., and
scatter it about three inches thick upon a
piece of ground so situated that water will
not stand on it, but shed off in every direc-
ton. The thirty bushels will weigh nine
hundred pounds take two hundred pounds
of good phosphate, which costs S22.5O per
ton, delivered, making the POO pounds cost
S225, and 100 pounds kainit, which cost me
by the ton $l4, delivered, or 10 cents for 100
bounds, and mix the acid phosphate and
kainit thoroughly, then scatter evenly on
the manure. The next, thirty bushels Of
green cotton seed and distribute evenly over
the pile, and wet them thoroughly ; they
will weigh nine hundred pounds; take again
two hundred pounds acid phosphate and one
hundred pounds kainit, mix and spread
over the seed, begin on the manure and
keep on in this way, building up your heap
layer by layer, until you get it as high as
convenient, then cover with SIX inches or
rich earth from fence corners, and leave 1t at
least a week when ready to haul to the
field, cut with spade or pickaxe square
down and mix as thoroughly as possible.