The log cabin Democrat., 1909-02-27
An Instructive Article on the Raising of Corn, by E. McIver Williamson,
 in Atlanta Constitution.

In 1885 I began to farm on a sandy Lightly rolling place. It had been un- der exhaustive cultivation for many years, and the soil was thin. making about six hundred pounds of seed cot on per acre. when well cultivated by
 he use of four hundred pounds of fer ilizer, costing $4, or ten bushels Of corn with $2 worth of fertilizer.
 I followed the old way of early fer
 iliZing, planting high, working rapid ", and buying corn. It always made | big, flourishing stalk, and was an an nual joy in the spring, and in the fall was in annual sorrow 1 knew that
 he farmer who dil not make provis- ons always failed sooner or later, and in my case all signs pointed to it be-
 ng sooner. So l applied more fertiliz- CT at planting times, and gave it more work It grew still larger than before, md made even less, and l continued to buy corn. l was getting out of trouble nearly as fast as the frog was getting out of the we'll
 l had seen real farmers make more corn on much smaller stalks. l had laughed at them in the spring, and they at me in the fall, they always however, laughing last. So profiting by their success, as well as my fail ire, I began to plant lower, and fer ,iliZe later, but it was not until l had allowed it to stand on small ridge with the second working furrows left open on both sides, that the stalk could be forced to give proper atten-
 ion to making it's ear.
 The smalness of the stalk itself now suggested that it could be planted thicker in the drill,
 Thus fer more than ten years l kept on studying and experimenting, plant irg lower and thicker, and stunting
 he stalk growth, after which all fer
 ilizers were applied, nitrate Of soda
 eing saved for last ploughing. My eld gradually increased, until in
 9C4, when with $11 worth of fertilizer ;er acre, the yield was S4 bushels per
 ere, on my crop of ten acres, the and being good rows six feet apart, and corn eleven inches in drill. was then convinced that the principles )f the method were correct, and that by it's use corn could be made more profit able than cotton. So in l905 l increased my crop to seventy acres on poorer land. and made g bushels per acre, with $701 in fertilizers; rows 6 feet apart and 16 inches in drill. In 1906, on 75 acres, with $6.69 fertili- gers per acre, made 50 bushels per acre: rows six feet apart and 13 inches in drill. In 1907, 65 acres yielded 55 bushels per acre, with S9.87 fertl- lizers per acre, stand irregular from hail; rows feet apart.
 1905 was very dry here at caring time.
 1906 was entirely too wet.
 1907 crop was greatly injured by hail on June 12.
 This method, which has been so successfully followed in this section, Is given in detail With such modified tions as any practical farmer can make to suit his own soil and climate, I believe that 1t can be used with much profit throughout the entire south, especially upon sandy soils.
 The tools named are such as every one-horse farmer has. Labor-saving implements can be used, for l have known a crop practically made with a two-horse riding disc cultivator. It IS my purpose. however, to keep this method within reach of the one-horse farmer. and to so describe 1t that he may derive it's full benefit with the tools that he has and under the con ditions by which he is surrounded, and not to tell him how well he might sue ceed by using things that he cannot get This method may seem to call for great deal of work and much running up and down the rows making corn than up and down the road buy ing it.
 Stiff land requires more breaking and subsoiling than light, sandy soils Therefore, plough your land as it may require during the winter. l do not break up more than one-fourth deep CT than land has been ploughed before Do not plough land when it is wet no matter how far behind in your work; 1t will pay to wait until it is ir proper condition, even though you plant less, for it will produce more Especially is this true at planting time and when ploughing near grow | ing crops.
 Lay off land in rows six fet apart and bed on these furrows with turr plough until only five-inch balk i: left between these beds. When ready to plant break out this balk with six inch shovel, or scooter. and follow