The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-07-20
Il DRAKE CORN.

16G uHARE CORN.
o tho Corn Was Fertilized and
Cultivated.
DR.. w. l.. Davenport, Washington
County, Va, made the following re.
guest Of the Southern Cultiyator:
Please give tho largest authentic
yield of corn for one acre of ground.
the kind OF soil, It's properties, FERTILE.
Ing, variety Of corn planted, distance
between rows, and plants In the rows,
cultivation, ETC., in fact all the essen.
tial details Of production" The fol-
lowing Is the answer of the Oultiva-
tor:
The largest corn yet recorded was
grown by Capt. u. j. Drake of Mari.
borO county South Carolina. Not only
Is this the largest grown in Amerioe,
but In the world. In one season end
on q single acre he produced 255 bush.
els and thus secured the American
Agriculturlst's prize of 5000, besides
several other awards offered locally by
fertilizer and other manufacturing
companies. The details as to how this
remarkable crop was produced were
published In American Agriculturalist
In March, 1880. The following facts
regarding 1t will he Of interest to
others:
The land on which the crop was
grown was originally q sandy soil on
which formerly grew oak, hickory and
long.leaf pine. Three years previous
this particular acre was especially for
tilted and prepared by Capt. Drake
and planted with Peterkin COTTON.
from which he harvested OFT pounds
Of lint cotton. The land was especial.
ly prepared for the corr contest. In
February he hauled upon 1t SO one
horse wagon loads Of stable manure,
at the same time ~broadcastlng 500
pounds each OF guano, cotton seod
meal and kalnlt, all OF which wore
ploughed under.
Following the plough 600 bushels OF
whole cotton seed were distributed In
the furrow after the plough. Immed-
lately following this a subIoil plough
turned this IL inches deep. The field
was laid IF alternately six feet be
tween two rows, then three feet, then
SIX feet, etc. Oae buShel Of the com.
mon gourd variety Of the southern
white dent corn, Of a strain improved
by 20 years seleotion, was planted
March 2. Five or six kernels were
dropped In the row to each foot.
The crop was still further fertilized
during the growing season as folle VS.:
April 10Th 200 pounds each OF guano,
cotton seed meal, kainit, aoid phos-
plate aud animal bone sown in the
burrows; May 18th, 800 pounds nitrate
soda In rows and worked In with the
harrow; May 25th, 200 pounds guano
were applied in the three burrows run
In the wide rows; June 9Th 500
pounds OF au equ / mixture OF guano,
cotton seed meal and kainit was
strewn in the wide rows; and finally,
on June 10Th, 100 pounds nitrate soda
vas b~rOadcasted In the narrow rows
and hoed IN.
The acre was surveyed June 29bh
by William b Afford. The hary,st-
ing was done November 25th In the
presence Of representative farmers.
including j. O. Campbell, and cficlai
representative Of the American Agri-
culturist. There was taken from the
field IL 407 pounds Of corn In the ear.
Of whioh only lao pounds we're soft
and considered poor. BY making
several selections the average fest,
showed that 80 per cont OF the total
crop was kernels, and equivalent of
Id. 273 pounds shelled corn, or 254
bushels and 40 pounds, estimated at
SO p) unds per bushel.
THIS was an elaborate experiment
to prove how much corn could be ac
tually gro wn on an acre, the COST of
production having been a secondary
matter in this case.
The second prize in this contest,
was won by Alfred Rose, of Yates
county, Now York, who produced
213 bushels Of Esrly Mastodon corn.
He planted one kernel every foot in
rows three feet apart ana fertil'z ID
with 500 pounds Mapes corn mhnur
The soil was a sandy loan.
Third prize was awarded to George
Gartner ot Pawnee couaty, Nebraska.
who raise d III bushels Of Early
Mastodon On a black, rlch loan, ferti.
lized with, 90 loads Of BARNARD
manure, planted In hills three by
three feet.
The average Weight of the entire
45 crops raised aud enbered In this
contest was 104 bushels shelled corn
per acre. In every case the crops
were we'll fertilized.