The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-12-09
"A GOOD YIELD.
A York County Farmer Breaks the
Record OF South Carolina.
Editor IOrkvillc Enquirer:

having uulSnCu INC RuJncflng Oh inc
crop of of my pet acre Of cotton, will
now, in compliance with your request
made to me some weeks ago, endcavor
to give you history of the expert
ment.
10 begin with, the plot OF land was
stepped oil by one Of my neighbors as
follows: First line, Sc yards second
line, 65 yards: third line, GO yards and
fourth line, 65 yards, enclosing Il total
OF i,9l0 square yards Of dark gray land
with yellow subsol.
Now, to go back little. Two years
ago lin 1S95) this plot was fertilizcd
with 800 pounds Of soluble guano and
planted in corn. The yield was be-
tween 10 and so bushels. Last year
QS96) it was fertilized with I6 two
horse loads OF lot scraping, scattered
broadcast, and 1000 pounds Of soluble
guano, Charlotte acil and German
kainit placed in drill. After this, it
was planted with King cotton, and the
yield was SIG pounds Of lint.
About the middle Of March of tho
the present year, | made compost
heap, consisting Of 80 bushels of cotton
seed, six two horse loads Of stable man
ure. 500 pounds OF Charlotte acid and
200 pounds Of kainit. After a thorough
mixing, these materials were covered
with rich earth and left in a low. Hat
heap until the 18th Of April, when,
after having turned out the old stalks
and smoothly narrowed my acre,
spread over it the contents of the com
post heap, as evenly as possible, and
then turned it under to depth Of from
six to eight inches. after which | again
used the harrow to level and pulvcrizc
the land.
With the manure in and the land
thoroughly pulvcrizcd, | next took q
terrace level ran q line directly through
the centre OF the plot, and from this
line, each way, laid of the'rows i ! feet
apart from centre to centre. Then, in
the burrows, | drilled 700 pounds Of
equal parts Of soluble guano, Char
lotte acid and kainit, and after that,
with a G.inch steel shovel, | prepared
the land in low flat beds for planting.
The seeds used were what might
very properly be called Further I'm
pounds carefully selected from the best
bolls of the best stalks that grew on
the same land the year before.
On the 10th of May, | side-harrOwed
the acre, and two days afterward went
over it again, and, by hand, pulled il
up to one stalk to every e or s inches
This work did myself, in order TO be-
sure that it was done right, and also
that | might be assured that there was
nothing left but healthy, vigorous
stalks.
On the 9th of May | side narrowed
again, ana on the lst Of June thinned
to Is inches in the drill. Next, on the
10th of June, | sided with short
straight shovel and l2-inch bow, and
on the pa | sided again with larger
shovel and lG.inch bow. Then, on the
10Th OF July, hoed and run three fur,
rows and shovel and lS.inch heel scrape
Last, on the 2Sth Of July, | went
through the middlcs as deeply as |
could with bull tongue, or scooter,
and then, on the same day, Laid by"
by leveling Off with shovel and heel
scrape.
The work of picking, ginning and
packing g has just been completed, with
respectively 430, AL, 453 and 39S
pounds, in all l,722 pounds Of lint on
the acre.
Now, MIR. Editor, know that this is
a phenomenal yield Of cotton to be
gathered from one acre, and many OF
your readers will doubt this report. |
have not got anything to say to Thomas:
but to others who believe in the pos
sibiljty Of things fthat they them
selves have never seen, | beg to say
that what have dore is nothing more
than they can do if they will use the
means. Let them select the right kina
Of seed, fertilize their land we'll, work
it properly, and my word for it they
will be gratilcd at the result.
AS for myself, | have been using the
King variety for sometime past. am
not prepared to say that the King is
superior to all other varieties for all
kinds Of soil but in this climate, on
highly fortilized lands, | think the
King beats any other variety.
While my success this year has been
in large measure due to the seed
probably | owe more to the seed than
anything else: still | think that the
deep furrow at the last working had
much to do with the yield. My opinion
here is based on past experience. |
have several times before gathered two
bales from one acre, and each time
there was a considerable quantity Of
fruit which failed to mature. Some OF
itrotted and some Of it dried up. Any.
how, it did not not open. | began to
think it was impossible to cultivate or
fertiliZe so as to get more than two
bales. The trouble seemed to be that
after q certain point, the stalks would
become so large and the foliage SO
dense as to necessarily cause the mould
ing and rotting OF the lower bolls.
But in the King variety this trouble
is, in largo measure, overcome. Ow-
ing to the natural habits of the plant,
dwarf growth and early maturity, the
stalk does not grow as large under
Same conditions. 1t puts on more fruit
to the size than. any other variety Of
which | have any knowledge, and while
the foliage is all sufficient to- give the
stalk q healthy growth, yet this foliage
Is not SO dense, even under the stimulus
Of high cultivation, and this year
noticed but very little trouble on ac-
count OF the rotting Of the early
bolls.
This year the cotton on the acre re-
ferred to above blooned at least two
weeks early than ordinary varieties.
1t has been earlier every year. 1t has
also matured earlier. Heretofore |
have neglected the deep furrow already
described. The effect of that furrow
has corta inly boon most nOticoabl