The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-03-30

tion; u larger acreage simply means
! two or moro farms.
About April | mon and mu es NOV,
on tho fields In Dattaiions. Four-horst
SC, dcrs, four-foot harrows, and six
horse gapg-p,Ows maneuver for SIN
weeks like an army sowing small grain
plowing and planting corn. Tho min
ute the small grain is sown 81 corn
planters are thrown behind the plows,
ana In this work lies largely the sue.
cess or failure of the crop. Note, for
instance, the pains taken in selecting
the seed corn.
"A perfect stand Of corn is tho first
requisite OF u large yield From a
cnolcc pleco VI land previously planted
VITA selected seed about 1000 bushels
Ot the finest ears are taken. From
these an expert selects 600 bushels.
0u1.dlng arranged especially for a seed
house. Whatever tho thermometer
registers IN Iowa, the temperature in
that seed house never lalls below frccZ-
lpg. All this insures the highCa: ger
mlhatlng power in the seed, and THAT
alone might, In the case OF cold, wet
spring, save the entire profit of the
season by producing d good stand.
The planting must OF necessity be
done by machinery, and to secure the
maximum yield three seed kcruels
must be dropped in each hill. If five
drop In that hill Il lost TO the profit ac-
count. II only one IT is partially lost.
But perfect as American farm ma
chlncry is, it docs not leave the factory
perfect enough 70 insure against irrcg-
nlar planting. Patiently aud by Sc
flcS CT exhaustive tCS.o the planter
plates are so al ujustCd to the size Of the
seed Kernels for each year that they
VIII deposit an average Of siXty-tvu
Herneis TO every twenty hills, and not
more than four nor less than two in
any one. so great are the precautions
That before the seed Is shcllcd the TIPS
and butts OF the seed ears are cut OH
20 secure kernels of an even size.
Even alter this delicate adJue :mcnt
u Inc best machinery in tho world,
ioremeD follow the 81 planters and AT
Intervals open hills to count lhvseed
deposits and make sure that each ma
chine Is doing It's work. In addition u
purse Of 500 is splitin eight prizes be
'wCcn inc eight men who do the bvs
work and whose teams mark the
stralghtest rows. With sucn method
1T any wonder that the crop on tnIs
tarm averaged 80 bushels per acre,
against tie average OF 81 bushels as
Slvcn Iowa by the government report
Ter 1898?
Alter the seeding, the harro ing ::
And 1T Is done with extraordinary en-
-rSy and concentration. One hundred
and orty sections OF fUur-ioot harrows
sweep the fields like a charge ol cav
airy. Every time they move mile 70.
gcther 62 acres are covered.
When The 3,SUO ACRES of corn are up
ana ready rs JwO.n0rse cuitivatOrs are
put into II. The point in The first cul
tlvatlun one way and in the second the
second the other way, Is to i,ct as close
as possible TO the corn: but after the
pains 10 place IL there no plant must DC
lclt covered by u clCu Of eaEtu. Tne
hclo hanu must uncover ~, and u fore
man on horseback Oehlna each twenty
men Is .eld responsible for his crews
work. In Guo third and final Gultivu.
tlon tho Carth is tn: own up against the
plant, the small weeds in the hill bsing
smothcrcu by and tue large ones being
pulled by hand. 1t will be OF interest
to merchants and theological proics.
oOrs TO learn that it is not the weed in
the row, but the one in the hill, that
mars the beauty Of the balance sheet.
The corn being now three feet high,
The stalk prevent further cultivation.
INTO this Held, apprOXimating one mile
IN width and SIX miles III length are
sent III October 10 wagons and men for
for the huek.ng. This takes 80 DAYS,
anC row OF cribs 10 feet wido and Ii
iect high, naif Il mile long, are re-
quired TO mold the crop.
In harvesting the small grain it is
.hreshed directly from the snock, saw
ing the cost of stacking and rchand-
ling. Elevators provide egainst heat
ing. further saving OF 5 10 s per
cent. over the. operations Of the small
farmer is effected in shipping, to tcrmi-
nal points instead OF selling to local
grain buyers. Future options may also
be sold against the growing crop on
market bulges at season when the
small farmer couIl no. ordinarily dc
liver bis .op.
The soil is kept in q high state o
fertility by a rotation of crops so ar
ranged that each piece of land bear:
which clover is SOWn, next one of clio
yer plowed under then fellow agai1
the three crops OF cora.
The clover is simply a fertilizer, ;
portion of the, first crop being cut fOl
hay, and the remainder ploWed under
to maintain tho vitality Of the soil
The large roJts act ,ras a su5sOilcr auC
the dccomposing vegetable matter re
stores the nitrogen taken by the grain
In order that the maximum amour
OF field work may be obtained, n,
"chores' are required of the men othe
than tho cleaning Of their teams
These are fed, bcdded, and the barn
cleaned by barn men. The results o
this farm arc therefore secured b.
painstaking care and thorough me
thOds.
The question is often asked, wha
does it cost to produce bushol q corn
On this farm, the size Of 35 0fdinar
farms, with u G0-tushol crop the cos
WIS 8 cents. per bushel to the crib
For Smelling, shipping and commission
add another cent, making TO-, conts il
all. 1t is cvi-.ent, however, that ha
this farm been divided into 35 farms
with IS cooks and 30 families, 35 door
yards and waste lands, the expense O
raising bushel Of corn would hay
been nearer Ii to Is cents.
In any event the cost varies fror
i'll