The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-04-05
How to Insure Profitable Corn Crops.

If every corn crop in the South this
this year could be planted on a
clover sod grown on land which had
been broken eight inches deep in the
last twelve months the yield per acre
might easily be twice what it will be.
| We said something like this about
year ago, and we feel safe in repeat-
ing 1t. Corn is an exacting crop; it
is not going to give profitable results
on poor land; in fact, it does not pay
10 plant corn on poor land. The
| writer honestly believes that if any
| reader has land on which he cannot
reasonably expect more than Is or 20
| bushels of corn per acre-the aver
age yield in the South--he will make
more by letting the corn crop go en-
tirely and planting legumes,-soy
beans cowpeas. peanuts, etc.-with
perhaps some sweet potato and sor-
ghum patches to help balance up the
legume crops for his live stock.
In other words, the first essential
In profitable corn growing Is good
land and corn should be planted only
| on land Of at least average fertility.
1t will be far better to cut down tha
! acreage. to plant only the best Of the
available land, to give this better
preparation, better cultivation, and
| better fertilization, and so to make 40
| or so bushels to the acre than to
work over land which yields less than
| half this amount.
The present average yields of corn
in the South are disgracefully low;
and though they are steadily incraas-
ing. none of us should be content
until they are at least twice e.s great
as at present. The South is the
| coming Corn Belt If eny one
doubts this, let him read the reports
on page from boys who have made
yields Of corn running all the way up
| to 1853 bushels on one acre. If any
| reader doubts that the land is the first
essential in profitable corn product
ion, let him read the letter from
| Troupe Toadvie, who made 15S BUSH
els at a cost Of $19; Of Wilson Town
| send, who. on a clover sod made 1885
| bushels for 13 cents per bushel Of
Spencer Aycock, who made corn for
81 cents bushel. Fertilizers pay
on corn. when used judiciously, but
| none Of the boys who made a record
| for low cost Of production used large
amounts Of commercial fertilizers.
Jerry Moore showed what the
South can do growing corn, but his
| big yield came pretty high. His plan
is not the one the farmer wants to
| follow. What the farmer wants is a
sod to turn under for his corn crop.
| There is much to be said right now
| about the preparation of the soil for
corn, about seed selection, about fer
tilization, about methods of planting
and cultivation, and all these will be
| discussed in this and future issues;
| but on this first page we wish to en-
phasize the fact that right now is
the time to begin preparations for
next years crop. BY planning a ro-
tation which will let the corn follow
legume; by making and saving all
the manure possible; in short, by
doing all he can to increase the fer
tility Of his soil. the farmer can this
year do much toward insuring q
profitable corn crop next year; while
| If he neglects these things. he will
find it hard task to atone 1or this
| neglect when he begins wo.k on his
1912 crop.
This years crop is yet to make, Of
course, but in many cases 1t is already
| decided that this years crop will
not be made as cheaply or as prof.
tably as 1t should be. A deep, loose
friable, humus-flled soil can not be
made now for this years crop, but
for next years crop such a soil can
be made this year, and a soil like this
| is essential to a low-cost crop Of corn.
I-PrOQracciua "a