The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1890-03-07
The Farm,
THE GRAND PRIZE CROP.
HOW 253 BUSHELS OF SHELL
LED CORN WERE GROWN
ON ONE EXACT ACRE
THE BIGGEST CROP
EVER KNOWN,

~>2>'0 ~
The acre entered by z J. Drake
was a sandy soil in Marlborough Co.,
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,
the plantttion of which this acre is an
average specimen was call by its owner
"Staryation's EMPIRE 1t had a gen.
tie 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
improvement and productiveness at
fords an. instructive lesson. AS late
as 1885, when it was in corn, i,
made poor crop-practically nothing.
To 1886, the acre yielded about 300
pounds of seed cotton, two dollars
worth of ammoniated fertilizer being
used in the way common to ordinary
cotton culture. The fertility was SC
reduced that. in 1887, the yield of corn
was not ever five bushels per acre. Blu,
now Mr.. Drake undertook to improve
it. To provide the vegetable matter
or humus so much needed the land
was literally covered with rakings Of
leaves, straw, etc., from the neighbor-
ing woods. On top of this, rs horse
loads of stable manure were evenly
spread broadcast; also, IS bushels oil
cotton seed, 500 pounds of Wilcox
Gibbes & Cos manipulated guano, $50
pounds of cotton.seed meal, and $50
pounds of kainit. This heavy dressing
was all plowed under with Starke's
Dixie turning-plow. 1t was lain off in
rows with the same pillow, two burrows
to the row, four feet apart 100 pounds
of the guauo were applied in the fur
rows, and then each pair of burrows
were thrown into a ridge with the same
pillow. The Peterkin cotton was plant
ed with Leytch cotton planter, and
made the great crop of 9l7 pounds of
lint.cotton on the acre, showing con-
clusively the result of the improvement.
PREPARING FOR THE BIGGEST CROP ON
RECORD.
Mr.. Drake decided that this acre
was the one for him to enter in the
corn contest. and he determined to
make the biggest crop on record, sea-
son permitting. The last of February.
therefore, he hauled upon the contest
acre so one horss wagon loads of stable
manure, averaging 20 bushels to the
load, or 1000 bushels of manure in all,
worth $50, to which should be 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 hauled to the acre
Al the same time, 500 pounds each Of
manipulated guano, cotton seed meal,
and kainit were also broadcasted, and
the whole was then plowed under.
Following the pillow, whole cotton seed
was literally strewn in each furrow,
600 bushels being applied to the acre
A subsoil pillow came after, breaking
the soil to total depth of IL inches,
and also burying the whole cotton seed
deeper than the other manure. Thus,
the decayino seed should back up the
crop later in the season, when its roots
had penetrated below the first layer OF
manure. One horse and man did the
blowing, also the sutsoiling both jobs
being completed in one day (March y,
at total expense of two dollars, The
acre was narrowed on the same day
with Thomas smoothing harrow, one
man and two horses doing the work in
about one hour. The next day, March
2, the acre was laid off, with the Starke
pillow, in two burrows to the row, follow.
ed by the subsoi! pillow in each row.
The rows were alternately three and
six feet apart-that is, there were six
feet between two rows, then three feet,
then six feet, and so on.
THE VARIETY AND CULTURE.
The seed planted was one bushel of
the common Gourd variety Of the
Southern white dent corn, but it was u
strain that had been improved by TWEEN
ty years of careful selection from the
best of the corn grown on this planta-
ton. The planting was done by four
hands in half day. on March 2, the
weather being warm aud the land
moist. Five or six kernels were drop
ped to each foot of the row. The lat
ter were FIVE inches deep, but the seed