Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-06-14
OBJECT LESSON IN FARMING.
Use of the Means Invariably Brings the
Desired Results.


prosperous all round agricultural coun-
ties in this state, in so short a time,
were in evidence, and while we were
deeply impressed with what we saw
and heard and have ever since felt an
inclination to tell your readers some
thing about it, we have been made to
hesitate because Of a consciousness OF
an inability to do the subject justice.
The farm in question is that Of
Messrs. w. C. and F. C. Whitner, sit
uated about three and one-half miles
east Of Rock Hill. 1t is safe to say
that had the owner Of the place offered
to sell it ten years ago for S. an acre
he would have experienced difficulty IN
finding a purchaser. The farm en-
braces about 400 acres and all the land
we saw was what Is known as "black
jack" At the time Messrs. Whitner
took charge of the. place about four
years ago it was literally covered up
with what in this section is commonly
designated as "nigger-head" rock,
which a layman would naturally place
in the same class as granite. The rock
was so thick on the ground that sue
cessful preparation, planting or cultl-
vation was impossible, and as PROOF OF
this it is only necessary to state that
all who had attempted to cultivate the
place previous to the Whitners faileo
to do so profitably.
We will not attempt to give a de-
tailed history Of the doings Of the pres
ent owners, for the twofold reason that
we did not undertake to secure the
necessary data and ecause 1t would
be of little interest to the average
reader, and will only mentian the fact
that at present all the cultivated land
is practically free from rock and that
from the time they took charge up to
the present, two-horse team has been
kept busy almost constantly year IN
and year out, hauling rock from the
land and dumping it in location that
Is never likely to be needed or wanted
for any other purpose.
We arrived at the farm about B
o'clock in the afternoon and found
Mr.. F. c.. Whitner, who has the active
management Of the farm together with
an expert or two and his foreman, Mr..
Robert Poag, in the act Of starting a
new binder to harvesting his oat crop.
Mr.. Whitner went with US over the
oat field and as We started remarked
that there had been no rain on 1t IN
about two months. The stalks were
about three feet tall, and the stand
was almost perfect. The crop was
seeded last fall and the seed was drill
ed or planted in rows sixteen inches
apart, the work being accomplished
with a machine or drill constructed es-
pecially for the purpose and drawn
by one horse. The oat field embraced
about thirty acres, and while guesses
as to the actual yield Of any kind OF
crop often miss the mark, still we are
of the opinion that a conservative es-
innate of the yield on this farm would
be thirty-five bushels to the acre.
Next we were shown field Of corn
that had been planted three weeks
previous. The stalks were six to
eight inches apart in the drill and at
least six inches tall. The ground had
been broken deeply with a two-horse
plow, narrowed and rolled and re-
narrowed and re-rolled and was free
from clods or Jumps. At the time we
saw the crop it was looking fresh and
was growing luxuriantly, although not
as much as light sprinkle Of rain had
fallen on the field since it was plant
ed. We were next shown another field
Of corn which Mr.. Whitner said had
been planted exactly one week. The
plants were possibly II inches tall and
the stand almost perfect. 1t might be
we'll to say right here that while the
foregoing statements may not strike
the up-to-date farmers as being or
special interest, they would be a rev.
elation to the thousands who are not
in their class and who imagine that II
they are so fortunate as to secure a
good, regular stand Of corn and get the
crop worked over within four or five
weeks after planting, they are breaking
all previous records, and 1t Is rarely
the case this Is done unless the plant
ing is followed by good rain.
About one-third of the cultivated
acreage of the farm is in cotton, and
although the crop was planted at about
the same time as the oldest corn, the
stand was perfect, the crop had been
worked over and the stalks were OF an
average height of about four inches.
On the farm may be found variety
of labor Saving implements and ma
chinery. The owners are CONVINCED
that they can secure desired results
much more quickly, satisfactorily and
economically with the aid of machin-
cry than by the old-fashioned meth
ods, and one is impressed with the rare
judgment that has been displayed In
the selection Of the machinery and
tools used and also with the super
iority of the mules employed In using
them.
While we are fully aware Of the fact
that there are hundreds. yes thou
sands, of so-called farmers In South
Carolina who imagine that there Is no
better way to secure results on the
farm than by the methods followed by
their fathers and grandfathers, and
express a contempt for any man who
undertakes to do differently, still there
are other hundreds and thousands who
have been gradually crawling out of