The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-03-13
on June 2, the land was lightly stirred
with hoe. a little earth was hoed in

| Wild noe. a lltGle eAElu WAS uOeu III
to the corn, making The land about
level. There was more rain June and
5, and, on the 9th, three furrows were
again turned in the middle of the wide
rows, this time with 2Oinch Campbell
sweep. Now. 500 pounds of q mixture
composed of equal parts of manipulated
guano, cotton.aeed meal, and kainit was
strewn in the wide spaces, and the corn
on the entire field was hoed. Rain came
| the next day, but, on June IL, 100 pounds
of nitrate of soda was sowed in che narrow
rows and hoed in.
THE WONDERS OF TEE CROP.
The crop was now wonderful sight.
1t soon became.necessary to put up posts
and nail. .slats:to them, on both sides of
each row, to preventive corn falling.
No hilling was done, but the whole acre
was kept perfectly level. Arrangements
for irrigatiug had been made, but the
season was early and wet, as compared
with other years; rain followed frequent"
ly, aud no irrigation was necessary. In
fact, as Mr.. Drake says, "the season was
the most favorable for corn ever saw"
The fame of the contest acre spread far
ard wide, farmers and planters came
from all parts of Marlboro and adjoining
counties to behold it. P. L. Breede1,
great cotton planter, and one of the most
progressive farmers in the State, says it
IVES "a wonder to behold" S.A. Brown,
editor of the Marlboro Democrat, writes:
"The harvest was indeed curiosity.
One Iaborer told us that the corn, when
pulled, was knee deep on the ground.
The yield was not much of surprise to
those who visited the crop while grow.
ing, and some Marion County farmers
put the estimate at 900 bushels"
THE HARVEST AND ITS CORRECTNESS.
The acre was surveyed June 20 by Vim.
G. Afford, q legal surveyor, and also
trial justice, who takes oath that the PLOT
was measured by an accurate Guntar's
chain, and Was 296 48-147 feet long ind
147 feet wide, containing 1850 equare
feet, or precisely oue acre. The bonn
daries were marked by stakes firmly
driven 10 the ground, but this precaution
was hardly necessary, as no other corn
was grown in the vicinity, the acre stand:
ing alone by itself. The harvesting was
done in the presence of large num-
Der of gentlemen-representati7e farmers
including J. G. Campbell, as the Off
cial representative of the american Agri
culturist, and G.. B. W. Dunn, J. w.
Reynolds and John T. Tart, as Mr..
brakes three witnesses. The acre 'Ras
first remeaaured and found to be of the
dimensions just noted. In order that
the harvest might be completed in the
presence ofthe witnesses in one day,
about thirty hands were employed to
pluck and shuck the ears and weigh
them. Mr.. Dunn personally attended to
the gathering, the weighing vas done by
MI. Reynolds on Fairbanks's tested scales,
and the tally was kept by MI. Tart. Mr..
Reynolds also kept tally, which cor
responded with Mr.. Tart's record. Mr..
Campbell supervised the whole affair.
In addition to all these precautions, the
number and character of the spectators
made any cheating impossible, had it
been thought of, and the fact that no
other corn grew in the neighborhood
rendered impossible the addition ofany
grown outside the contest acre. Mr..
Drake and his witnesses certified before
Justice Afford that the crop, as harvested
November 25, was II ,4O7 pounds of corn
in the ear, of which 140 pounds was soft
or poor corn. Each witness selected,
from different parts Of the field, an s7er-
age lot of ears, and from 100 pounds Of
ears so gathered Mr.. Tart obtained BOZ
pounds of kernels and l91 pounds of
cobs. Mr.. Reynolds obtained 81 pounds
of kernels and 1s pounds Of cobs, and
Mr. Dunn got ssa pounds of kernels
and 16i pounds of cobs. Averaging
these tests shows that 80 per cent of the
total crop was kernels, or 1928 pounds
of shelled corn, equal to 254 bushels, 49
pounds of shelled corn at 56 pound, to
the bushel. This, if kiln.dried until it
contained only 10 per cent of water,
would shrink to 239 bushels, and if the
water is all allowed for the crop would
be 2l7 bushels of actual dry matter in
the shelled corn grown on one acre.
VERIFYING THE RECORD.
In addition to all the safeguards mar
rated to insure faithful accuracy, re
have made several independent investi.
cations, all of which fully confirm the
honor and integrity of the parties con-
cerned. Not only Mr.. Drake, but the
surveyor, justices and witnesses are lnen
of unimpeachable standing in their com.
munities. While the american Agricul-
turist is fully convinced of the correctness
of Mr.. Drake's report from beginning to
end, we have deemed it wise to explain
the basis of our opinion, so that every
farmer may be equally conviuced'of the
absolute fact that within fraction of
255 bushels of shelled corn have teen
actually grown on one acre, in single
crop, in one season. This being the lar.
gest crop of corn ever made on one acre
in the history Of the worlds agriculture
the american Agriculturist deems iTself
fortunate in having made it "a ma!ter of
record beyond dispute.
THE COST OF THE CROP.
This was heavy. Look at the items of
manure, and fertilizer alone, to which
are appended Mr.. Drake's other state,
| went of eynanses