The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-10-17
Mr. 3. F. Keese,s Prize Acre OF Corn
Yield, Mode OF Cultivation, SC.
Hralhalla Courier.
TUeALoo HOME, Sept. 80, 1889.

DEAR COURIER: Having gathered
our prize acre of corn, we beg leave to
present our experiment, the cause of sue.
cess and failure, continents and deduc-
| tions for the readers of the Courier, in
behalf of all concerned in the farmers
movement of progressive tilliage, con.
testants, &C., &c. We have gathered
and measured carefully one hundred and
| five bushels and twentythree pounds,
struck measure. Though the acre has
been estimated from forty bushels to over
two hundred by different parties, and
though we have fallen far short of our
own expectation, it is quite refreshing
to realize the fact that we have more good
merchantable corn from one acre than
we made on our whole farm in either of
the two last years, having beeen sub.
merged by the foods of1SS7 and 1883.
The cultivation was almost faultless.
The want of a machine to drop the corn
and good hand to lay off the rows
vas the only irregular procedure that
observation could detect While we did
not make two hundred bushels or an
approximate, we will make the following
statements, viz: Having manured very
highly 10000 pounds of compost of cot
ton seed, stable manure and land plaster,
and 5000 pounds of fguano,) the land
having been deeply plowed, the spring
cold aud dry, the crop did not start off
veil until the last Of May. The ground
was thoroughly wet. The heavy rains
from this time until the last of June.
impeded its growth. AS this particular
juncture, when Shooting" silking and
tasseling, the weather was dry until the
Oath of July. During this time we ex-
perimented a little with spraying, and
on Tuesday, 22d July, we turned Oh
branch, but on Thursday 1.-TWO days later)
the rain came, ard our.irrigation amount.
ed to nothing, but an.ipjury, ss the land
where the stream ran was made too wet,
causing the corn to fall down. This is
the objection to irrigation by turning on
a running stream. The ground gets too
wet before it will get over the entire land.
Spraying is more like patural rain and
far preferable, as the operation can better
be controlled. During this drought, ten
miles below in Anderson county, the
farmers were having too much rain and
partial showers were frequent, which,
together with press of other work,
deferred us from resorting to irrigation,
thinking every day it would rain. But
i'll had commenced irrigation in the
outset of the drought, and kept itup, I
believe firing could have been prevented.
One other cause Of failure was taking in
poor sand bank for the purpose of test
ing the power of highly manuring such
land, as compared with rich land, md
because it was not so exposed to overflow.
On this sand we got good stalk, but no
corn, very little at least. Two or three
severe winds prostrated and split up the
blades, preventing filing. We think
the wind destroyed twenty. FIVE bushels,
taking in the sand bank twenty five, aud
the drought twenty-five, or fifty, would
have given yield of two hundred bush
els or its approximate. As it is, We
would have made more if there had been
less corn on the land, and, perhaps, we
would have made better yield had our
rows been FIVE feet instead Of two and
one half, and thicker in the drill, aud had
given the corn mere sun light. Corn
planted on the new moon grows taller:
giving more foliage and lesa grain.
Hence our high corn, some ears being
nearly ten feet from the ground. 1t is
NOT popular idea to give the moon
such an influence, but neap tides are
formed by the moon being in conjunction
with the sun. So we have faith in
enough the moon to insist on planting
corn on the old moon. This would have
increased our yield.
DR.. Parker, of Columbus, claims to
have made two hundred bushels and
fraction on one acre, and / never disput.
ed the matter when any man believes
that two hundred bushels were made.
Orange, Judd & Co., offer their splendid
journal as premium to the one who
guesses the largest yield, or its approx.
mate, of the contestants the present year.
My guess is two hundred and ten BUSH
els, three pecks, three quarts and one
pint. In my effort at large yields I feel
justified in making this guess, large as
it is, because over as large an area as the
United States and Territories some farmer
will realizs all the helps oftheseason men
toned in my case, and even more.
In conclusion will state that have
been on probation this year, OF feel so at
least, having neglected my religious,
social and financial duties for my farm
work, or higher and better degree Of
tillage But if have added one item
to palliate, extricate, eradicate, eluci-
date, fascinate, or in any way to anchor
ate the decree of disobedience, ''six days
shalt thou labor" ''tbe bread by the
sweat of thy face" ,""all the days of thy
life shalt thou eat The bread in SORROW"
&c., then I hope for consolation for my
shortcomings. l find it hard to be q
"jack at all trades" without being good
for none. To make any vocation in life
success we must be professional deyo.
tee. Hence we are in favor of applying
scientific research to the most healthful,
most useful and the most noble employ
ment of man-agricullure.
B.F. K.
Beware of OIntments for Catarrh that