The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-11-02
SOME FIGURES On CORN.
CLEMSON EXTENSION WORK
ARTICLE XXIU.
Hon. T.. j. Watson Tells About the
Growth OF Corn in this State.

| OF the meeting Of the Farmers Con-
gress held at Clemson College DUR
ing the first two days OF September
gave some figures on corn that are
we'll worth the study Of the farmers
| of the South.
The average yield Of corn per acre
has increased in South Carolina from
| 7 bushels in 1900 to 1877 bushels in
1909, as against 81 bushels in 1900
| and 35.9 bushels in 1909 in Illinois.
| In farm value per acre South Caro-
| line corn has increased from 4.48 to
1903 in a like period as against
11.S4 and 1857 for a like period in
the Carolina has increased from Ga
cents in 1900 to 81 cents in 1903 as
| against 32 and so cents in Illinois.
| If the Illinois farmer can raise corn
and grow rich at these values how
much better opportunity have the
| farmers of the South to do even
better.
In addition to the corn we raised
| last year we spent six million dollars
| for corn and corn products, a great
deal of which was of very question
able feed value. The man who sold
us this corn and the railroads to-
gether cleared 80 cents a bushel or
nearly three and a half million dol
lars. We can produce corn as cheap
or cheaper per bushel than this same
corn cost to produce; so we not only
paid out this profit, but lost the ad-
ditional profit from the growing.
Then TOO had this corn been grown
here all of that six million dollars
would have remained here as a per-
manent asset
That these facts are being realiz-
ed by the farmers Of the South Is
evidenced by the steady increased
acreage planted to corn and the in
creased yield per acre. We are learn
ing that 1t not only pays to plant
more corn, but also to give that crop
better cultivation and attention than
we have heretofore done. We are
beginning to realize that while cul-
tivation and fertilization are import
ant factors in determining our yield,
vet ~" factor of blood and inheri-
u'e also play no small part. With
,1Ia wledge has come a closer at
rent -n to the detail OF corn raising
ana hreeding. But while in the South
number Of men have been giving
these points thought and work, yet
to large extent each has worked
along independent lines. Each man
has tried to hew an independent
road to success for himself, forget
| ting that much more rapid progress
could be made If he joined with his
neighbors and all pulled together
The worst fault with the average
farmer Is this very thing of going
1t alone. He breaks his land with
single horse. does all of his cult
walton with the single horse and one
furrow and pulls his crop to market
| with his one horse. He has become
| so accustomed to the one horse idea
that he himself has never learned to
work In double harness AS 1t will
pay him In breaking his land to COM
bine with his ne:ghbor and plow
| double, so 1t will pay to combine
with some neighbor in this effort to
increase his corn production. 1t was
with the Idea Of affording an op-
portunity Of this doubling-up process
| that the South Atlantic Corn Expo
| sttion, to be held in Columbia, S. c..
December to inclusive, has been
] planned. Steps weer taken by this
end last spring at the time of the
| meeting Of the Corn Breeders AS
sociation. when the State Legislature
was asked to assist such an enter
prise and responded literally by an
appropriation Of one thousand dol
| lars
In making this appropriation there
was but one string tied to it and
that was that four thousand more
should be raised by other means.
| This same Act placed this fund under
| the control of a board, consistinq. of
the state Commissioner of Agricul-
ture, the President of the Corn
breeders Association, the Director OF
the Agricultural Department of and
the superintendent of the Extension
Division OF Clemson College. This
board, organized by the election of
Mr.. A. ID. Hudson. President of the
Corn Breeders Association, as Pres
ident. Public spirited men both at
home and abroad were appealed 10
for help and nobly have they re-
sponded. The one thousand dollars