The Washington herald., 1909-11-14

Mount Clare. s. C.. Nov. 12-In 1855 I
began 10 farm on a sandy. slightly rolling
place. II had been under exhaustive cul-
tivation for many years. and the soil
was thin, making about 500 pounds Of
seed cotton per acre. when well cult
waited by the use Of 400 pounds OF fer
tilizer. costing 81. or ten bushels of corn
with 50 worth of fertilizer.
/ followed the old way OF early fertiliZ-
ing. planting high. working rapidly, and
buying corn. It always made big,
flourlshing stalk. and was an annual 10y
IN the spring. and IN the fall was in
annual sorrow. knew that the farmer
who did not make provisions always
failed sooner or later. and in my case all
signs pointed 10 1t being sooner. SO
applied more fertilizer at planting times,
and gave Il more work. il grew stin
larger than before. and made even less.
and continued 70 buy corn. I was get
ting out OF trouble nearly as fast as the
frog was getting out OF the well.
Small stalks Yield Best.
I had seen real farmers make more
corn on much smaller stalks. I had
laughed az them in the spring. and they
at me IN the fall they always. however.
laughing last. SO prohting by their sue
| cess. as well rs my failure. I began 10
plant lower, and fertillze later. but II
was not until I had allowed # to stand
on a small ridge with the second working
burrows left open on both sides. that the
stalk could be forced 10 give proper at
tention to making its ear.
The smallness Of the stalk itself now
suggested that it could be planted thicker
! In the driIl
Thus for more than ten years I kept
on studying and experimenting, planting
/ lower and thicker. and stunning the stalk
growth, after which al fertilizers were
applied. nitrate Of soda being saved for
| last blowing. My yield gradually in
| creased. until in 1884, wheE, with 81 worth
Of fertilizer per acre. the yield was eighty
/ four bushels per acre. on my crop Of
/ ten acres. the land being good rows six
/ feet apart. and corn eleven inches IN drill
| 1 was then convinced that the principles
or the method were correct, and that by
: its use corn could be made more profit
able than cotton. So IN 1905 I increased
my crop to seventy acres on poorer land
]
with sol In fertilizer; rows six feet and
sixteen inches in drill. In 1896. on seventy
! five acres, with 500 fertilizers per acre.
made sixty-bushels per acre; rows siz
/ feet apart and eighteen inches IN drill II
1907, sixty-five acres yielded fifty-hvC
/ bushels per acre. with S9G fertilizers pei
/ acre. stand irregular from hail. rows sil
feet apart
1905 was very dry here at caring time.
1906 was entirely too wet.
1907 crop was greatly injured by hail or
June u.
Method Applicable Anywhere.
This method has been successfully fol
lowed in this section. With such modif
cations as any practical farmer can max,
20 suit his own soil and climate. I be
lieve that It can be used with much prof
throughout the entire South, especially
upon sandy soils The tools named ar
such as every one-horse farmer has. La
| bOr-saving implements can be used for
have known a crop practically made will
a two-horse riding disc culuvator. 1t
my purpose, however, TO keep this metho,
within reach Of the one-horse farmer
and 70 so describe II that he may deriy,
its full benefit with the tools that he ha
and under the conditions by which he 4
surrounded, and not 70 tell him how wei
he might succeed by using things that n
cannot get. This method may seem 4
call for great deal OF work and mucl
running Up and down the rows. but
have tried BOTH and I would rather b
running UP and down the rows making
corn than up and down the road buy
ing It.
Stin land requires more breaking ant
subsoiling than light. sandy soils. There
fore pillow your land as it may requir
during the winter. I do not break u
more than one-fourth deeper thar Ian,
has been plowed before.
Do not pillow land when It is wet, n,
matter how far behind in your work. I
VIII pay to wait until II is In proper con
dition, even though you plant less. for I
VIII produce more. Especially Is this tru
at planting time, and when blowing nea-
/ GROWING crOnu