The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-03-20
THE CORN CHAMPION.
SOME FACTS ABOUT CAPTAIN
BRAKES TRIUMPH.

Tho Largest Crop Evor Known.
American Agricultural.
The acre entered by u. J. Drake
was sandy soil in Marlborough
County, South Carolina. The original
growth was oak, hickory, and long
leaf pine. Three years ago, before
the land was improved, eight dollars
per acre was o fair valuation, while
thirty years ago, the plantation of
which this acre is an average speci-
men was called by its owner "Starva-
tion's Empire" 1t had gentle slope,
with northern exposure, and was
naturally we'll drained. The acre was
a fair specimen Of much Of the poor
land In the South, and its improve
mont and productivoness affords an
instructive lesson. AS late as 1886,
when it was in corn, it made poor
erop-praotically nothing. In 1886,
the acre yielded about 300 pounds OF
seed cotton, tive dollars worth Of
ammeniated fertilizer being used in
tho way common to ordinary cotton
culture. The fertility was 80 reducsd
that, in 1887, the yield of corn was
not over five bushels per acre. But
now Mr.. Drake undertook to improve
1t. To provide tho vegetable matter
or humus so much needed, tho land
was literlly covered with rakings of
leaves, straw, ETC., from the neigh bor-
ing woods. On top Of this, s. horse
loads of stable manure were evenly
spread broadcast; also. rs bushels Of
cotton seed, 500 pounds of Wilcox,
Gibbes & Co.'S manipulated guano,
$50 pounds of cotton seed meal, and
250 pounds Of kainit. This heavy
dressing was all plowed under with
Starke's Dixie turning.plow. 1t was
laid of'in rows with the same plow,
two furrows to the row, four feet apart;
l0o pounds OF g,Iano were applied in
the furrows, and then each pair of fur
rows were throw into a ridge with tho
same plow. The Peterkln ,tton was
planted with a Leytch cotton planter,
and made the great crop OF 917 pounds
Of lint cotton on tho acre, showing
conclusively the result Of the improve
ment.
MIR. Drake decided that this acre
was the one for him to enter in the
corn CONTEXT, and he determined to
make the biggest crop on record, sea-
son permitting. Tho last Of February,
therefore, he hauled upon the contest
acre fifty One-horse wagon-loads of
stable manure averaging twenty bush
els to the load, or 1000 bushels of ma
nure in all worth $50, to which should
he added four dollars fer hauling and
spreading. This WAS the droppings
Of horses and mules, fed on corn and
fodder, and was not moved until haul
cd to the acre. AT the same time 500
pounds Of manipulated guano, cotton
seed meal, and kainit were also broad.
oasted, and the whole was then Dlow-
cd under. Following tho plow, whole
cotton seed were literally strewn in
each furrow 800 bushels beiag applied
to tho acre. A subsoil plow came af-
ter, breaking Tho soil to total dep tn
Of II incheS, and also burying the
whole cotton-seed deeper than the
0ther manure. Thus, the decayins
seed should back up tho crop later in
she season whom it's roots had penetra-
ted below tho first layer Of manure.
One horse and man did tho plowing,
also the subSoilipg; both jobs being
completed in one day March y, at n
total expense OF two dollars. The acre
was narrowed on tho same day, with
Thomas smoothing harrow, one man
and two horses doing tho work in
about one hour. The next day,
March 2, the acre was laid OF, with
the Starke plow, in zach row. The
rows were alternately three and six
feet apart-that Is, there were aix feet
between tive rows, then three feet,
then six feet, and so on.
The seed planted was one hushol Of
the common Gourd variety Of tho
Southern white dent corn, but it was
strain that had been improved by
twenty years Of careful selection from
the best Of tho corn grown on this
plantation. The planting was done
by four hands in half day, on March
2, the weather being warm and the
land moist. Five or six kernels were
dropped to each foot of the row. The
latter were five inches deep, but the
seed was only covered lightly an inch
deep, by raking in the sides of the fur
row. Rain tho next day washed in
moro soil, and covered the seed rather
deeply. There wore good rains March
10 aid 10, the plants began to show on
the 10th, and by the Doth there was
tOlerably good stand. On April the
crop WAS heed for the 6rst time, thin
ned 10 ono stalk every five or six
Inches, and tho few missing places re-
planted. On the Goth, thea,wide spa
SeS (Six teet) between thossalternate
rows were plowed out with tho sub
soil plow. Then mixture, compos-
ed Of 200 pounds each of manipulated
guaAo, kainit, cotton-seed meal, acid
phosphate, and animal bone, was
evenly applied by sowing in each fur
row (thus confining this application of
plant food to tho wide spacos), after
which the whole acre was gone over
with Thomas harrow There was
q rain on the oath, and two days later
the crop was again narrowed with tho |
Thomas harrow. Now, on May Is, |
the narrow or three foot rows were
plOwed out with the sub-soiler, and
800 pounds Of nitr&te Of soda was SOW
ed in these rows, and worked in with
q hand harrow or cultivator. On the
18th, the Thomas harrow was run
through the wide rows, to break the
csust. 1t will be seen that by this
anne the soil was not only we'll filled
with plant-food, but had been thor
oughly cultivated on the surface, and
also we'll worked underneath by theI
plow, so that the whole soil
was not only full Of fertility, but was
In that light and open condition that