The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-03-20
DlIAGJK6EI!Ns3Hi .lA J6I!:Ns3 Ns3HAMpIoN. i,,i,i.jf'ii1.;ii,
SOME FACTS ABOUT CAPTAIN
BRAKES TRIUMPH.

oIs sf Corn wore Grown on ono Aero
Tho Largest Crop Ever 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 a fair valuation, while
thirty years ago, tho plantation of
which this aero is an average speci-
aen was called by its owner "Starva-
tion's Empire" 1t had gentlo slope,
with northern exposure, and was
naturally we'll drained. Tho acre was
. fair specimen Of much of the poor
land in the South, and Its improve
ment and productivsness affords an
instructive lesson. AS late as 1885,
when it was in corn, it made poor
erop-practically nothing. In 1885,
the aero yielded about 800 pounds of
seed cotton, TIVE dollars worth of
ammoniatSd fertilizer being used in
the way common to ordinary cotton
culture. The fertility was so reduced
that, in 1887, tho 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 80 much needed, tho land
was literIly covered with rakings Of
leaves, straw, ETC., from the neiRhbor-
ing woods. On top Of this. 3 horae-
loads of stable manure were evenly
spread broadcast; also, rs bushels of
cotton seed, 500 pounds of Wilcox,
Gibhes Il Co.'S manipulated gunno.
$50 pounds of cotton seed meal, and
$50 pounds Of kainit. This heavy
dressing was MI plowed under with
Starke's Dixie turning'plow. 1t was
laid ofin rows with the same plow,
two burrows to the row, four feet apart;
100 pounds Of guano were applied in
, the burrows, and then each pair of fur.
rows were throw into ridge with tho
same pl6w. The Peterkin ,tton was
planted with Leytch cotton planter,
and made tho great crop OF 917prunds
Of lint cotton on tho acre, showing
conclus;vely tho result Of tn % improve
ment.
Mr.. Drake decided that this acre
ts the one for him to enter in the
n CONTEXT, and he determined to
ke the biggest crop on record, sea-
permitting. Tho last Of February,
sreiore, he hauled upon the contest
TIC fifty one-horse wagon-loads of
BILE manure, averaging twenty BUSH
to the load, or | 900 bushels of ma
re in all, worth $50, to which should
8 added four dollars for hauling and
2readins. This WAS tho droppings
horses and mules, led on corn and
Ter, and was not moved until haul
h) the acre. AT the same time 500
DIS of manipulated guano, cotton
meal, and kainit wero also broad.
sted, and the whole was then plow-
under. Following the plow, whole
ton-ssed were literally strOwn in
fh furrow 600 bushels being applied
the acre. A subsoil plow came af-
: sr, breaking The soil to total depth
IL inches, and also burying the
M hole cotton-seed deeper than the
her manure. Thus, the decaying
Ped should back up the crop later in
ho.season whom its roots had penetra-
ted below tho first layer Of manure.
one horse and man did the plowing,
.lso the subaoilisg; both jobs being
tai expense Of two dollars. The acre
mas smoothing harrow, one man
Id two horses doing tho work in
,out one hour. The next day,
arch Q, tho acre WAS laid OF, with
Starko plow, in each row. The
VS. were alternately three and six
apart-that is, there were six feet
yeen two rows, then three feet,
six feet, and so on.
ne seed planted was ono hushel Of
common Gourd variety Of the
horn whito dent corn, but it was
In that had been improved by
year. Of careful selection from
st Of the corn grown on this
tion. The planting was done
hands in half day, on March
weather being warm and the
moist. Five or six kernels were
e,ed to each foot of the row. The
were five inches deep, but the
vas only covered light y an inch
lvby raking in the sides of the fur
o,R Rain the next day washed in
oil, and covered the seed rather
rd. There wore good rains March
zs 15, the plants began to show on
-s4r~sIhth, and by the 25th there was q
toleraHly good stand. On April the
crop Was heed for tho first time, thin
nod toy one stalk every five or six
inches, and the few missing places re-
planted. On the Goth, thea.widc spa
ees (siA tsst) between thessalternate
rows W ere plowed out with tho sub.
soil plo ". Then mixture, compos-
ed Of 200 pounds each of manipulated
guaho, kainit, cotton-seed meal, acid
phospha ate, and animal bone, was
evenly applied by sowing in each fur
row (thus confining this application of
plant food to the wide spacss), after
which the whole acre was gone ever
with Thomas harrow. There was
a rain on the Oath, and two days later
the crop was again narrowed with the
Thomas harrow. Now, on May 15,
the narrow or three foot rows were
plowed out with the sub-soiler, and
300 pounds of nitrate Of soda was SOW
..ed in these rews, and worked in with
fl oI1arrow or cultivator. On the
ne Thomas harrow was run
a -