The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-11-23
BREAK THE RECORD NEXT YEAR
Begin Preparing Corn Land Now for
an Increased Yield Next Year.

an Increased Yield Next Year.
(Cor. Statesville Landmark.)
When 1 quit active personal work
on the farm and began work for the
Department of Agriculture. I did SO
for two reasOns-that I might learn
to be a better farmer myself, and
that 1 might help others to become
better m I want to say here
that / have learned more about the
possibilities of the soil and the farmer,
and I am proud to say that / believe
the greater possibilities are in the
farmers themselves. This year is a
surprise to me and every other think
ing man. The general average Of
corn over the county will not be over
Is bushels, while the average for the
work done on the plans Of the farm
ers' administrative work will be very
much more than this. The very ex-
cellent yields obtained are going ii
thoroughly arouse the farmers for the
next crop. They are beginning the
preparation for the next crop now,
and many of them are in earnest
about the matter. I shall not be at all
surprised if some farmer in the county
comes up next year with a 2~00-bushel
record. The Wake county man who
made 226 bushels, and broke all pre-
vlous records, save one, has thoroughly
aroused the m all owe the State.
The meeting last week Of the agents
of the demonstration work in Raleigh
and the reports made by them in that
meeting, go to prove conclusively one
thing, and hat is that the man who
wishes to make a large yield of corn
must do his best work in the fall and
early winter. There was not an excep-
ton to this in all the reports made.
Mr.. Bats mad his land Lowed and
fhnr0lIOhEy nIJ1Xvarion1 On yoho~ Ia1~
There are farmers in this county who
are now at work in earnest to beat
the record made in thi scounty this
year, and they are going to do it.
When l began this work I had for my
slogan, Fifty bushels Of corn and a
bale of cotton but ] am compelled to
change this now to 100 bushels Of
corn. We have this year 80 to 40
crops that will run above 60 bushels
to the acre. Such a record as this
ought to make all Iredell county
rme prouder than ever Of their
What I want to urge now is that
all farmers, whether in the demon
stration work or not. thoroughly
break their land this fall or early
winter, to the depth of 8 inches or
more. The deeper the better, if some
vegetable matter is mixed with the
soil. IN order to do this I would ad-
wise that every farmer make a large
compost heap this winter. This may be
done by building a pen and filling it
with leaves and other litter. with a
few bags Of acid phosphate and
potash mixed in with the muck. or
the muck heap may be made and
scattered on the land next spring and
the fertilizer applied in the usual way
with the wheat drill. There is no
whole farm in corn in order to make
the feed necessary to maintain the
live stock on the farm. The time has
come when we as farmers must quit
playing with farming and do some
thing worth while. Every farmer can
thoroughly prepare a few acres and
put them in such condition that he
knows corn will do we'll on them. and
do something to renovate the thinner
portions of the farm so as to bring
them into condition to grow large and
profitable crops. There are many
farmers who can raise more corn on
five acres than they have been doing
on twenty, and the same amount Of
work on the five will make more, I'M
less the land is above the average. The
average yield Of corn this year will nor
be more than Is bushels per acre and
20 acres Of average corn will produce
only 800 bushels, while five acres at
SO bushels per acre will produce as
much. A large MI Of farmers
nave this year averaged so bushels
and over on more than five acres.
There are then Is acres that may be
put in r~enovating crops. No farmer
may expect to make these large crops
by the use of commercial fertilizers
alone. These will help the farmer, but
he must not depend on them entirely.
The land must be broken deeply, and
the burrows set on edge, not turne
over fat, and where the breaking can
be done in time a cover crop of rye
should be SOWn on the land
f. S. MILLSAPS.