The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-03-17
Williamson Plan.

In the first place thorough prepare
ton is required. If the top soil Is
shallow with little. humus in 1t, pre-
pare by breaking two or three lnches
of the clay and mixing with the soil.
That preparatory work should be done
at once. Turn the land and follow
with subsoiler. Harrow occasionally,
if it gets hard. If disposed to wash
put terraces on q level. Ifyou have a
good crop of grass and weeds to turn
under 90 much the better. All Of our
uplands cleared years ago need humus.
When that is abundant the land acts
as q sponge and absorbs and stores up
the rains as they fall. Such land suf-
fers less in wet weather, or dry, than
land scratched over. Do not think
you know more than farmers who
have succeeded with this plan. Some
people, say their plan is best and they
but in a part of the fertilizer when they
plant. Others say 6-foot rows are a waste
of land and they make 4 or 5-foot rows.
Such farmers are not often heard of at
gathering time. Stick close to the plan
and when you succeed at that, get up
a better one and the corn growers will
call you a benefactor'
After land has been well prepared
and received the benefit of the frosts
and winter rains, it is ready to plant.
Be sure that you never touch the land
with a pillow when it is too wet. Some
time in March lay off your rows as
nearly on a level as possible. do not
come an inch under six feet. Bed with
Ia two-horse turn pillow, leaving the
last furrow till planting time. In tue
Piedmont plant the corn as soon after
the 25th of March as the weather and
moisture will permit. Do not plant in
hills. If you do you will lose by it.
Strow the corn along so that when 1t
comes up there will be enough to get
a stalk exactly where you want it. do
not add all ounce of fertilizer when
you plant yuurn corn. Cover 1t about
two inches deep. Being low down in
that deep middle fnrrow the April
frosts will not hurt it After planting
your corn. then proceed with your cot
ton and plant aud thin it and give 1t q
second cultivation About the last OF
May turn your attention to the corn.
If the weeds and grass are growing too
much in the middles, run n section
of q steel harrow Overt it the 10th to 18th
of Nav. That will check or kill the
grass. A one-horse %cultivator run
twice will clear the middles. But do
not touch the corn till May 25th to
June 5th. If the stalks are small and
even yellow, do not be alarmed. When
time to cultivate comes, let the corn be
thinned leaving a stalk just where you
want it.
Decide how much you wish to the
acre. Men who have not tried the
plan should not aim too high the first
time. Try for forty bushels and make
it. You will feel so good that you
will 20 for sixty next year. If you
plant corn with a large ear, deep grain
and small cob, 80 ears may make a
bushel. But when all the ears are
average size count a hundred to the
bushel. 1t will take 125 to 100 ears of
the prolific varieties. On thin land
that would make six to ten bushels of
small corn without fertilizer, do not
plant for more than 80 to 40 bushels.
Land has to be brought up by de-
grees.
If the soil is thin and devoid of hu-
mus begin with the hills two feet
apart. That should make 80 to IS bu-
shells. AS the land is better increase
the fertilizer and the yield. The fol-
lowing is the number of hills to the
acre:
Six feet by "a inches $3.50.
Six feet by Is inches 4,840.
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