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

ON OIL Corn wero Grown Ono Acre
Tho Largest Crop Evcr Known.
American Agriculturist.
The acre entered by II. J. Drake
was a 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 fair valuation, while
thirty years ago, the plantation of
which this aero is an average speci-
men was called by its owner "Starva-
tion's Empire" 1t had a gentle slope,
with northern exposure, and was
naturally we'll drained. The acre was
fair specimen Of much Of the poor
land In the South, and Its improve
mont and productiveness affords an
instructive lesson. AS late az 1886,
when it was in corn, it made n poor
erop-practically 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 so 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 50 much needed, tho land
WAS literlly covered with rakings of
leaves, straw, ETC., from the neighbor,
ing woods. On top Of this, B horse
loAds of stable manure were evenly
spread broadcast; also. rs bushels Of
cotton seed, 500 pounds of Wilcox,
Gibbes & Co.'S manipulated gunno,
$50 pounds of cotton seed meal, and
$50 pounds Of kainit. This heavy
dressing was all plowed under with
Starke's Dixie Lurning.plow. 1t was
laid ofiin rows with tho same plow
two furrows to the row, four feet apart;
100 pounds OF gunno wero applied in
the burrows, and then each pair of fur
rows we're throw into ridge with the
same plow. The Peterkin ,tton was
planted with Il Leytch cotton planter,
and made the great crop OF 9l7pounds
Of lint cotton on tho acre, showing
conclusively the result Of the improve
ment.
A1r. Drake decided that this acre
was the one for him to entor in the
corn contest, and he determined TO
make the biggest crop ON record, sea-
son permitting. Tho last OF February,
therefore, he hauled upon the contest
aero fifty one-horse wason-londs 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 for 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 samo time 500
pounds Of manipulated gunno, cotton
seed meal, and kainit wero also broad.
oasted, and the whole was then plow-
ed under. Following tho plow, whole
cotton-seed wore literally strewn in
each furrow 600 bushels being applied
to tho acre. A subsoil plow came af-
tor, breaking .he soil to total dep tn
Of II inches, and also burying the
whole cotton seed deeper than the
other manure. Thus, ths decayins
seed should back up tho crop later in
the season whom it's roots had penetra-
ted below tho first layer Of manure.
One horse and a man did tho plowirw,
also the subsoilipg; both jobs boing
completed in one day March y, at Il
.otal exponse Of two dollars. Tho acre
was narrowed on tho same day, with
n Thomas smoothing harrow, one man
and two horses doing tho work in
about one hour. The next day,
March 2, tho acre was laid on, with
tho Starko plow, in each row. The
rows were alternately three and six
feet Apart-that is, there were .ix feet
between tive rows, then three feet,
then six feet, and 80 on.
The seed planted was one hushol Of
the common Gourd variety Of the
Southern white dent corn, but it was
q strain that had been improved by
twenty years Of careful selection from
the best Of the 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
more soil, and covered tho seed rather
deeply. There wore good rains March
10 and 10, the plants began to show on
the 10th, and by the 25th there was a
tolorably good stand. On April the
crop was heed for the first time, thin
ned 10 ono stalk every five or six
Inches, and the few missing places re
planted. On the Goth, the0.wide spa
ees six teet) between thesalternate
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 the wide spaces), after
which the whole acre was gone over
with Thomas harrow. There vas
a 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 nitrate Of soda was SOW
ed in these rows, and worked in with
q hand harrow or cultivator. On tho
25th, the Thomas harrow was run
through the wide rows, to break the
crust. 1t will Be seen that by this
time the soil WAS not only we'll filled
with plant-food, but had been thor
oughly cultivated on the surface. and
also we'll work ed underneath by the
plow, so that the whole soil
was uot only full Of fertility, but was