The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-04-13
BIG CORN CROP.
VIII At A MASLsORO PARMIJR
RAISED ON oNE AORE.
Fac:s but the Great Crop Of Capt
Irake, Which Broke the
Worlds Record.

In answer to q request from DR.. w.
= Davenport, OF Washington o. unity,
Va, to give the largest authentic
yield OF corn for enc acre of ground.
me kind of soil, it's properties, fertf-
llzlng,. variety Of corn planted, dis
lance between rows, aud plants in tile
rows, cultivation, etc; in fact. all the
essential details of production, the
American Agricul' 'urist says:
The larg st corn CROP yet recorded
vas grown by Capt. z J. Drake OF
Marlboro county, s. O. Not only ia
this the largest grown in America,
but In the world. Ia one season and
on q single acre, he produced 265
bushels and thus secured American
ARrloulturalist's prize OF $500, be
sides several other awards offered
locally by fertilizer and other manu-
featuring companies. The details as
to how this remarkable crop was pro
duced were published in American
Agrlculturalist In March, 1890. The
following facts regarding it will be OF
interest to others:
The land on which the oyop was
grown was originally sandy soil on
which formerly grew oak, hickory
and long leaf pine. Three years pre-
vlous, this particular acre was espec
tally fertiliz,d I'd and prepared b. Oapt.
Drake and planted with Peterkin
cotton from which he harvested OF
pounds Of lint cotton. The land was
specially prepared f)r the corn con.
tast. In February he hauled upon ii
80 one-horse wegon loads Of stable
manure, at the same time broadcast
Ing 500 pounds each of guano, cotton
seed neal and kainit, all OF which
were plo we'd under.
Following the plow 600 bushels OF
whole cottOnseed were distributed in
the furro after the plow. Immedi-
ately following this subsoil plow
turned tLis IL inches deep. The
dald was laid of alternately fee,
oea 1een two plO VS., then feet, the,
q feet, etc. One bushel of the COM
mo1 ground variety Of the Southern
white Dsnt corn, OF a strain improv.
by % years selection, was planted
March q. Five or six kernels were
dropped In the row to each foot.
Toe crop was still further fertil z,d
during the growing season as fellows:
April 20, 200 pounds each guano, cot
tonseed meal, kainit, acid phosphate
and animal bone sown early in th,
burrows; May IT, 800 pounds nitrate
soda In rows and worked in Will, har-
row; May 25, 200 pounds guano weY,
applied Ia three burrows run in the
Ysyt fssesrapsfi J,soa s. soc. ponnds OF an,
"a ial M xJuro u kdano, c1ttonseet
meal and kainit was strewn In the
vide ro1s; and finally on June 10, 100
pounds nitrate soda was broadcasteo
In 'be narrow rows and hOed In.
The &cro was surveyed June 20 BY
William 3 Afford. The harvesting
vas done N va ber 25 In the pre- enc
f representative farmers, including
J q. Campbell an official reprenta
tives Of American Agricultnrali4t
ore we're taken from the field II :
407 pounds crn In the ear OF wh!c
'nly lao poun1s were soft and con
dered poor. BY making several
s'lec'ion8 the average test showaG
hat 80 pc: cent. Of the total oror
Pla ke. mails an equivalent Of Ia 273
, unds of 8 ! ed corn, or 254 bushel
md 40 p unds, estimated at Sc
pounds per bushel.
This was an elaborate experimen
to prove how much corn could be &C
tually grown on an acre, the cost o,
production having been secondar
matter In this case. The seoop
prize IN this contest was won by AL.
fred Rose Of Yitss county, N. Y
Who produced 2l3 bushels Of Early
Mastodon corn. He planted one
kernal every foot In rows feet apart
and fortified with 800 pounds Mapes
corn manure. The soil was sandy
loan. The third prize was awarded
to George Gartner of PLwnee county,
Neb., who raised I'll bushels OF Early
Mastodon on black, rich loan, ferti
lied with 90 loads Of bsrnyard man
ure, planted in hills by feet. The
average weight OF the entire 45 crops
raised and entered In this contest wa.
1O4 bushels shelled c,rn per acre. 1
every Case the crops were we'll fer tiliz
ed. 1t pays to feed crops intelligent