The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-19
FARMING METHODS
 GREATLY IMPROVED
South Alabama Is Progressing
 In Corn Growing
RECORD CROPS MADE
structiOn of Federal Agents and the Results Have Been Sur
 prIsing to All

Phelps, federal agent in farm demon- stration work, has returned to his Au- burn headquarters after road trip which has been exceptionally fruitful in the furtherance of the cause of agricul- tural enlightenment While on this trip Mir. Phelps installed three county demon- stration agents in the work. In Coving ton county W. N. Rushton of Andalusia Is county demonstration agent, and under his supervision there will be 20 demon- stration farms, each of five acres in cot ton and five acres in corn, to be operated in accordance with the federal demon stration system.
 In Crensnaw county W. M. Blackwell work, with the same number of farms and an acreage equal to that of Coving- ton county. MT. Blackwell is a resident of Lapine.
 In Brewton, as in Montgomery, local merchants have supplemented the appro- priation of the federal bureau with a sub scription, and demonstration work in Es- cambia county consequently will be con- ducted on more extensive lines. G. K. Fountain has been appointed agent in that county, and under his supervision will be about 40 demonstration farms.
 MT. Phelps says that interest in the demonstration work in south Alabama is intense. Last week he attended farm implement demonstration. which was con- ducted by Frank Simmons, the Conecuh county agent. MT. Simmons has made the | Io,,, ;,,ct nI representatives of most of the larger fm- plement manufacturers were present last week. Two hundred farmers or more Of Conecuh and neighboring counties at tended. It is said that the demonstration resulted in proving to the farmers the eff ficiency of improved machinery, so that whereas, Mr Phelps says, four years ago there were few blows in the county that cost more than s. now the local dealers are buying the most improved implements by the carload.
 MT. Phelps received during the last week reports from several of his county agents, most of which revealed excep- tional productions of corn. One, from J. E. Helms, the Butler county agent, was interesting in it's tabulation of the cost of corn production. In this report 1t was shown that one of the cooperating farm CTS, L. A. Killough, paid for his crop of corn by peas which were planted in the corn; the proceeds from the sale of corn thus were clear profits. MT Kilough raised 54 bushels on an acre, the average for 12 acres, at a cost of 35 cents bushel. Another, E. L. Graydon, raised 54 bush els on each of four ceres at cost of H cents a bushel. The highest cost was that incurred by Eugene Harrison. This farmer raised se bushels an acre at a cost of 46 cents a bushel. R. E. Jones raised 134 bushels of corn to the acre at a cost of 36 cents a bushel.
 Exceptional yields were three reported from Hale county by w. H. Knight of Greensboro, county agent. MT. Knight raised 150 bushels to the acre on two acres. To achieve this record yield he used as fertilizer 700 pounds of acid phos- phate and cotton seed meal in equal pro- portions and 150 pounds of nitrate of soda to the acre. P. H. Knight of Greensboro raised no bushels on each of three acres, using the same fertilizers in less quan- tity than w. H. Knight and c. L. John son of the same county produced !20 bushels on each of three acres. As fertil- izer he used the same substances as the other two, supplemented with two tons of manure.
 The efficacy of the federal demon stration methods is proved by reports which MT Phelps received from Pike county. w. H. Law of Goshen showed that he had produced 116 bushels of corn to an acre by following the method pre- scribed by the government department of agriculture. The cost, he reported, by the new method was S1 cents bushel under the old method, $1.20 a bushel. MT. Law used as fertilizer six loads of ma nure, 20o0 pounds 8, 3, guano and 400 pounds nitrate of soda J. Cole of the same county produced 100 bushels to- an acre. under the directions of the demon- stration agents, on land that hitherto pro- duced only nine bushels to the acre. The cost under the new method he reported as 1eh cents bushel under the old way, s111. MT. Cole used Hastings pro- Iffic seed