St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-01-16
SOUTHERN
|: AGRICULTURE
SUCCESSFUL CORN CULTURE.
An Instructive Article on the Raising
of Corn, by E. McIver Williamson,
in Atlanta Constitution.

In 1885 I began to farm on a sandy
slightly rolling place. 1t had been un.
der exhaustive cultivation for many
years, and the soil was thin, making
about six hundred pounds of seed cot
ton per acre, when well cultivated by
the use of four hundred pounds of fer
tilizer, costing 81, or ten bushels OF
corn with 81 worth of fertilizer.
followed the old way of early fer
tilizing, planting high, working rapid
ly, and buying corn. It always made
big, fourishing stalk, and was an an
nual joy in the spring, and in the fall
/ was in annual sorrow. I knew that
the farmer who dill not make proyis-
ions always failed sooner or later, and
in my case all signs pointed to it be-
ing sooner. So applied more fertiliz-
er at planting times, and gave it more
work 1t grew still larger than before,
and made even less, and continued
to buy corn. was getting out of
trouble nearly as fast as the frog was
getting out of the well.
/ had seen real farmers make more
corn on much smaller stalks. I 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 we'll as my fail
ure, I began to plant lower, and fer
tilize later, but it was not until / had
allowed it to stand on small ridge
with the second working burrows left
open on both sides, that the stalk
could be forced to give proper atten'
ton to making its ear.
The smallness of the stalk itself now
suggested that it could be planted
thicker in the drill.
Thus for more than ten years kept
on studying and experimenting, plant
ing lower and thicker, and stunning
the stalk growth, after which all fer
tilizers were applied, nitrate of soda
being saved for last ploughing. My
yield gradually increased, until in
1904, when with 81 worth of fertilizer
per acre, the yield was "a bushels per
acre, on my crop of ten acres, the
land being good rows six feet. apart,
and corn eleven inches in drill.
was then convinced that the principles
Of the method were correct, and that
by its use corn could be made more
profitable than cotton. So in 1905
increased my crop to seventy acres on
poorer land, and made 81 bushels per
|acre, with $7.01 in fertilizers; rows
feet apart and Is inches in drill. In
1906, on IS acres, with $3.50 fertili-
gers per acre, made SO bushels pei
acre; rows six feet apart and Is inches
in drill In 1907, IS acres yielded
SIS bushels per acre, with 1887 ferti
lizers per acre, stand irregular from
hail; rows feet apart.
1906 was very dry here at caring
time
1906 was entirely too wet.
1907 crop was greatly injured by hail
on June IL.
This method, which has been SO
successfully followed in this section, is
given in detail. With such modifica
tions as any practical farmer can
make to suit his own soil and climate
l believe that it can be used with
much profit throughout the entire
south, especially upon sandy soils.
The tools named are such as every
implements can be used, for I have
known crop practically made with a
two-horse riding disc cu1tivator. It is
my purpose, however, to keep this
farmer, and to so describe it that he
may derive its full benefit with the
tools that he has and under the con
ditions by which he is surrounded, and
coed 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
COAA IAcA up dAO uOWA t1C IOdO Duy'
ing it.
Stiff land requires more breaking
and subsoiling than light, sandy soils
Therefore, plough your land as it may
require during the winter. I do not
break up more than one-fourth deep,
er than land has been ploughed before
Do not plough land when it is wet
no matter how far behind in your
work; it will pay to wait until it is in
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 burrows with turn
plough until only a five-inch balk is
left between these beds. When ready
to plant break out this balk with six
inch shovel, or scooter, and follow