Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1906-03-01

The following highly valuable
paper, prepared by Mr.. E. McIver
Williamson of Darlington county,
s. c., has just been published in the
Hartsyille County Messenger: and is
So applicable to all farmers in the
corn-groWing belt Of North Carolina,
as well, that we gladly give it space,
as valuable reading, in the ARGUS:
For number OF years after 1 be-
gan to farm [ followed the Old-time
method of putting the fertilizer all
under the corn, planting on level
OF. higher, six by three Ieet, pushing
the plant from the start anu making
a big STALK, but the ears were few
and frequently small. L painted
much corn III the spring and bought
until finally L Was driven to the
conc uSion Ihas corn could not be
made on uplands in this section, GER
tantinly not by the old method, ex-
cept at d loss.
did not give up, however, for l
knew that the farmer who did not
make his own corn never had sue
ceedeu ana never would, so | began
to experiment. First, L planted
lower, and Lhe yield Was better, but
the stalk Was still too large, so L dis
continued altogether the applictlon
of fertilizer before planting, and,
knowing that all crops should be
fertIlizel at some time, L used mix,
ed fertilizer as side application and
applied the more soluDIe nitrate of
soda later, being guided in this by
the excellent results Obtained from
its Use as Top dressing Tor oats. Still
the yield, Though regular, Was not
large, and the snailne5s of the stalk
itself now suggested they should be
planted THICKER IN the drill. TINS
Was done the next year, with results
so satisfactory Lnat L continued from
y y
of stalks ana The fertiliz with which
to sustain them also to apply nitrate
OF soda at last pIoWlng, and 10 lay by
early, SOWING peas broadcast. This
ms thod stead ly increased the yield,
until year before last Q904 with
corn IL inches apart ln slx-foot rows
and Sll worth of fertilizer to the
acre, L made 81 bushels average tC
the acre, several OF my best acres
making a5 uucn as l25 bushels.
Last year U3O5) L followed the
same method, painting the first week
In Aprll, 10 acres which had produced
the year before 1000 pounds seeC
cotton per acre. This land is sandy
upland, somewhat rolling. Seasons
were very unfavoraole, owing to thu
tremendous rains IN May, and th'
dry and extremely not weather later
From June llth to July 18th, tn,
tune when it most needed moisture
there was only o-S of an inch of rain
fall here; yet with 500, cost of fer
tillzer, my Yield Was 5z bushels pc
acre. Rows were six feet and corn Il
inches in drill.
With this method, ON land tina
will ordinarily produce L 200 pound
OF seed cotton with sou pounds O
fertilizer, 30 bushels of corn per acr
SHOULD. he made by using 200 pound
of cotton seed meal, 200 pounds c
acid phosphate, and 400 pounds G
kainlt mixed, or their equivalent il
other fertilizer, and 125 pounds 0
nitrate of soda, all to be used as sid
application as directed below. u
On land that will make bale an
one-haf OF cotton per acre when we
fertilIzed, 100 bushels of corn shoul
produced by doubling the amount {
fertilizer above, except that ~
pounds of nitrate of soda should
used.
In each case there should be left @
the land in cornstalks, peas, vim,
and roots, from $l2 to SIG worth
fertilizing material per acre, besiC
the great benefit to the land from
large an amount Of vegetable matte
The place OF this in the permanel
Improvement OF land can never
taken by commercial fertilizer, for
is absolutely Impossible to max
lands rich as long as they are lackir
in vegetable matter.
Land should be thoroughly al
deeply broken tor corn, and this
the time in a system of rotation
deepen the soil. Cotton requires
more compact soil than corn, al
while a deep soil is essential to