The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1907-01-03

/ visited Darlington county and the
Pee-Dee section, for the purpose of in
vestigating the plan of growing corn
originated by Mr.. McIver William.
| son, an account of his visit having
been printed in The News and Cour-
Ter at the time, has completed his re-
port on the subject. The correspon-
dent of The News and Courier has
been permitted to copy the report,
which will have great interest for
| planters in all parts of the State las
we'll as adjoining States). In part
it is as follows: ol-7
The peculiar or essential William.
son plan features are:
l. Deep and thorough preparation
of seed bed. The soil is not only
broken to fully twice the depth to
which it is usually broken, but is
broken much more thoroughly than
is the custom.
2. Deep planting of the seed. The
seed are placed four to six inches be-
low the soil level and almost or quite
in contact with the subsoil, but cover
ed to the usual depth. This aids in
"stunting" or retarding the growth
of the young corr and of grasses and
weeds as we'll, since very nearly ali
the soil proper has been ploughed
away from the corn row and into the
middles, and no fertilizer has been
applied.
5. I%nfrequent and partial c%ultiva-
ton in early stages of growth. This
is contrary to popular belief and
practice and Mr.. Williamson styles
it "the most difficult point in the
whole process" requiring experience
and Judgment "to know Just how
much the stalk should be stunted, and
plenty of nerve is required to hold
back your corn when your neighbors,
who fertilize at planting time and
cultivate rapidly, have corn twice the
size of yours"
4. An increase of 200 per cent or
more in the number of stalks per
acre. With rows 6x1 feet the Will
hanson plan has a little more than
1900 stalks per acre against a little
more than 1900 if planting is done
5x3 feet, in accordance with the or
binary practice. theoretically, this
would give rs and % bushels per
acre, respectively, and it seems; from
evidence at hand, that it is borne out
in practice, assuming that each stalk
will produce an ear, and one hundred
ears will shell a bushel of grain.
5. Postponing application of ferti-
lizers until corn Is given its second
cultivation. In ordinary practice this
would be about the time corn should
be worked the third time. The stalk
has been checked or "stunted" as de.
sired, and the fertilizer is applied
when the plant needs it for the devel-
Opment of the ear.
6. Intentional ~retardation of early
growth of the stalk until its size Is
reduced one-half or one-fourth its
normal development.
4. Augmented development of the
ear following <etardation in stalk
development,) by cultivation and
heavy APPLICATIONS of fertilizers made
at appropriate intervals.
Since the Williamson plan corr Is
planted 4 to 6 inches below the level,
and is laid by 4 to 6 inches above the
level, there is 8 to II inches of the
stalk below the soil surface. The
stalk roots or brace roots are below
the surface when the crop is laid by,
and probably perform their nutri-
i've functions better than would be Of
a part of them were exposed to the
air. al..
Amounts of Fertilizer.
Mr.. Williamson recommends the
following amounts of fertilizers APP,
piled to an acre:
For so bushels of corn. per acre
Two hundred pounds of cotton seed
meal, 200 pounds of acid phosphate,
400 pounds of acid phosphate, 400
pounds of kainit, 125 pounds of nj
trate soda, 925 pounds, costing about
SO.
For 100 bushels of corn per acre
400 pounds of cotton seed meal, 400
pounds of acid phosphate, 500 pounds
of kainit, 800 pounds of nitrate of
soda, 1900 pounds, costing about $40
The total cost of fertilizers, cult.
walton, etc., for producing so bushels
on one acre would vary fran So t.
$40, and for producing 100 bushels
on one acre from $25 to $50. These
valuations are based on the market
price of the fertilizers assuming tn:
acid phosphate to be II per cen
goods) and the average price of labor
The cost of labor varies in differen'
parts of the State and even on ada
cent farms.
4 IF the COW pea crop grown with tn,
corn produces one ton of hay, thi
crop, if left on and in the ground
would add to it about $12 worth o
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash
If the COW pea crop would produc
two tons of hay, this crop left on an
T in the ground would add $24 worth o