The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-03-29

naturally the larger item on the whea
farm. The Iowa farm supplies its OWL
fuel. On the Dakota farm coal is re
quired.
Here, too, note that the corn farm
is planted with 600 bushels Of corn
costing $3.50, while to seed the whea
farm requires 5000 bushels Of wheat
worth in 1898 $4,000. Again in Da
kota FIVE hundred acres Of oats barely
feeds the 100 head Of mules, while il
Iowa $50 acres Of corn feeds the same
number easily. These differences
together with the seed difference and
the twine difference, sometimes handi
cap the profit account Of the wheat
farm $4,000 year to start with.
HOW IT WAS DONE.
The essentials of profitable farm
ere good land, well drained, but not
too rolling, and accessibility to lea
sonable transportation. Six thousand
acres being about three miles square
makes the largest farm which can be
operated to advantage from single
central station; larger acreage sim.
ply means two or more farms.
About April l men and mules move
on the fields in battalions. Four
herse seeders, four-foot harrows, and
six-horse gang-plows maneuver for six
weeks like an army, sowing small
grain, plowing and planting corn.
The minute the small grain is sown 81
corn planters are thrown behind the
plows, and in this work lies largely
the success or failure Of the crop.
Note, for instance, the pains taken in
selecting the seed corn.
A perfect stand Of corn is the first
requisite of large yield. From a
choice piece Of land previously plant.
ed with selected seed about 1900
bushels of the finest ears are taken.
From these an expert selects soc
bushels. These ears are placed on
racks in building arranged especially
for seed house. Whatever the ther-
mometer registers in Iowa, the TEN,
perature in that seed-house never falls
below freezing. All this insures the
highest terminating power in the
seed, and that alone might, in case oi
a cold, wet spring, save the entire
profit Of the season BY producing
good stand.
The planting must Of necessity be
done by machinery, and to secure the
maximum yield three seed kernels
must be dropped in each hill. If 6v'
drop in, that hill is lost to the prof
account. IF only one, it is partially
lost.
But perfect as American farming
machinery is, it does not leave th'
factory perfect enough to insure
against irregular planting. Patientl.
and by series Of exhaustive tests th'
planter plates are so adjusted to tn
size Of the seed kernels for each yea
that they will deposit an average o
sixty-6ve kernels to every twent.
hills, and not more than four nor les
than two in any one. So great ar
the precautions that before the see'
is shelled the tips and butts Of the see,
ears are cut off to secure kernels Of al
even size.
Even after this delicate adjustmen
Of the best machinery in the world
foremen follow the 81 planters and a
intervals open hills to count the see'
deposits and make sure that each ma
chine is doing its work. In addition
a purse of s1OOi is split in eight prize
between the eight men who do tn
best work and whose teams mark tn
straightest rows. With such metho'
is it any wonder that the crop on thi
farm averaged so bushels per acre
against the average Of 32 bushels a
given Iowa by the government repor
cor 1898?
After the seeding, the narrowing
aud it is done with extraordinar
energy and concentration. One hun
dred and forty sections Of four-foo
harrows sweep the fields like charg
Of cavalry. Every time they move
mile 62 acres are covered.
When the :, 800 acres Of corn are u
and ready 76 two-horse cultivators ar
put into it. The point in the frs
cultivation one way and in the secon
the other way, is to get as close a
possible to the corn; but after tn
pains to place it there no plant mus
be left covered by clod of earth
The field hand must uncover it, and
foreman on horseback behind eac
twontv menlis held responsible for h,