The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-02-28

JuSG Uetu puuliSuSu III tho kAoA eo'iA>
county Messenger;
For number Of years after / began
. to farm, I followed the old'time me
thod OF putting the fertilizer all under
the corn, planting on level or high
er, six by three feet, pushing the plant
from the start and making a big stalk
but the ears were few and frequently
small. planted much corn in the
spring and bought much more corn
the next spring, until finally [ wa
driven to the conclusion that corn
could not be made on uplands in this
section, certainly OF by the old me-
thod, except at loss.
I did not give up however, tor l
knew that the farmer who did not
make his own corn never had sue
ceeded, and never would, 81 began
to experiment. First, | planted lower,
and the yeild was better, but the stalk
was still too large, so / discontinued
altogether the application Of fertilizer
before planting, and knowing that all
crops should be fertilized at some
time, I used mixed fertilizer as side
q, application and applied the more
. soluble nitrate of soda later, being
guided in this by the excellent results
obtained from its use as top dres.
sing for oats. Still the yield, though
regular, was not large, aud the small.
hess of the stalk itself now suggested
= that they should be planted thicker in
the drill. This was done the next
" year with results so satisfactory that l
continued from year to year to increase
the number of stalks and the fertilizel
with which to sustain them, also to ap
ply nitrate of soda at the last plowing
and to lay by early, sowing peas
broadcast. This method steadily in
. creased the yield, until year before last
e: Tl9O41 with corn II inches apart in six
. foot rows and $l1 worth of fertilizer
to the acre, made 81 bushels average
TO the acre, several of my best acres
making as much as 125 bushels.
Last year [l905] I followed the same
method, planting the first week in
April, 70 acres which had produced
the year before 200 pounds of seed
: cotton per acre. This land Is sandy
upland, somewhat rolling. Seasons
were very unfavorable, owing to the
tremendous rains in May, and the dry
and extremely hot weather later
From June 18th 10 July 18th, the
time when it most needed moisture
there was only 5-S Of an inch of rain
fall here; yet with SOL cost of fer.
tilizer, my yield was 81 bushels pei
acre. Rows were six feet and corn
16 inches in drill.
With this method on land that will
ordinarily produce 1000 pounds OF
seed cotton with 500 pounds of fer.
tilizer, so bushels Of corn per acre
should be made by using 200 pounds
of cotton seed meal, 200 pounds Of
acid phosphate and 400 pounds OIL
. .kainit mixed, or their equivalent in
other fertilizer, and .l25 pounds: oi
. nitrate of soda, all to be used as side
. application as directed below. ..
On land that will make bale and
. one-half of cotton per acre when well
fertilized, 100 bushels of corn should
! be produced by doubling the amount
of fertilizer above, except that 300
pounds of nitrate of soda should be
=. nsed.
+ In each case there should be left
4, on the land in cornstalks, peas, vines
. and roots, from $l2 to SIG worth of
. fertilizing material per acre, besides
the great benefit to the land from so
large an amount of vegetable matter.
The place Of this in tine permanen,
Improvement of land can never be
taken by commercial fertilizer, for il
is absolutely impossible to make lands
rich as long as they are lacking Ii
vegetable matter.
Land should be thoroughly andi
deeply broken for corn, and this IL
: the time In system Of rotati n Il
deepen the soil. Cotton requires 6
more compact soil than corn, and
while deep soil is essential to lis best
development, it will not produce al
well on loose open land, while corr
does best on land thoroughly broken
A deep soil will not only produce
more heavily than shallow soil with
good seasons but will stand more wei
as we'll as more dry weather.
In preparing for the corn CROP LAND
should be broken broadcast during
the winter one-fourth deeper than il
has been plowed before, or if much
vegetable matter is being turned
under, 1t may be broken one-third
deeper. This is as much deepening az
Land will usually stand in one yea
and produce well, though it may be
continued each year, 30 long as muct
dead vegetable matter is being turned
under. It may however be subsoilef
to any depth by following in bottom
of turn plow furrow, provided no more
of the subsoil than has been directet
is turned up. Break with two horse
plow, if possible, or better with a dis
blow. With the latter cottou stalks o.
corn stalks as large as we ever make
can be turned under without having
been chopped, and in peavines, it will
not choke or drag.
Never plow land when it is wet,
you expect ever to have any use for i
again.
Bed with turn plow in six foot rows
leaving five inch balk. When ready
to plant, break this out with scooter
following in bottom Of this furrow deel
with Dixie plow, wing taken of
Ridge then on this furrow with same
ploW still goirg deep. Run corr
planter on this ridge dropping ont
grain every five or six inches. Plan
early, as soon as frost danger is past
say first sea. a.onable spell after Marcf
18th, in this section. Especially ii
early planting necessary on very rict
lands where the stalks cannot other
wise be prevented from growing too
large. Give first working with har