Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1911-03-01

In 1885 began to farm on a san
dy slightly rolling place. 1t had
been under exhaustive cultivation
for many years, and the soil was
thin. making about six hundred
pounds of seed cotton per acre,
when we'll cultivated, with the use
of four hundred pounds of fertilizer,
costing 81, or ten bushels of corn
with 50 worth of fertilizer.
l followed the old way of early
fertiIizing, planting high, working
rapidly, and buying corn. 1t al
ways made big, fourishing stalk,
and was an annual Joy in the spring,
and in the fall | was in annual sor-
row. l knew that the farmer who
did not make provisions always fail
ed sooner or later, and in my case
all signs pointed to it being sooner.
So applied more fertilizer at plant
ing 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 we'll.
l had seen real farmers make
more corn on much smaller stalks.
l had laughed at them in the spring,
and they at me in the fall, they al
ways, however, laughing last. So
profting by their success, as well as
my failure, l began to plant lower,
and fertilize later, but it was not un,
til had allowed it to stand on a
small ridge with the second work,
ing burrows left open on both
sides, that the stalk could be forced
to give proper attention 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 experiment.
ing, planting lower and thicker, and
stunting the stalk growth, after
which all fertilizers were applied,
nitrate of soda being saved for last
plowing. Ny yield gradually in
creased, until in 1904, when with
S11 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. l was then
convinced that the principles of the
method were correct, and that by
it's use corn could be made more
profitable than cotton. So in 1905
increased my crop to seventy acres
on poorer land, and made so bush
els per acre, with $l.01 in fertiliz-
ers; rows feet apart and l6 inches
in drill. In 1906, on rs acres, with
$3.50 fertilizers per acre, | made
go bushels per acre; rows 6 feet
feet apart and Is in hes in drill.
In 1907, IS acres yielded So bush
els per acre, with s9,s7 fertilizers
per acre, stand irregular from hail;
rows feet apart.
This method which has been so
successfully followed in this section
is given in detail. With such mod.
ifcations as any practical farmer
can make to suit his own soil and
climate, / believe that it can be
used with much profit throughout
the entire south, especi lilly upon
sandy soils. TIE tools named are
such as every one.horse farmer has.
Labor-saving implements can be
used, for l lave known crop prac-
tically made with a two-horse rid.
ing disc cultivator. Ii is my pur.
pose, however, to keep this method
within reach of the one-horse far
mer, and to so describe it that he
may derive it's full benefit with the
tools that he has and under the con-
ditions by which he is surrounded,
and not to tell him how well he
might succeed by using things that
he can not get. This method may
seem to call for great deal of work
and much running up and down the
rows, but 1 have tried both, and
would rather DE running up and
down the rows making corn than
up and down the road buying it.
Stiff land requires more breaking
and subsoiling than light, sandy
soils. Therefore, plough your land
as it may require during the winter.
do not break up more than one
fourth deeper 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 III proper condition, even
though you plant less, for it will
produce more. Especially is this
true at planting time, and when
ploughing near growing crops.
Lay off land in rows six feet
apart, and bed on these furrows
with turn plow until only a five
inch balk is left between these beds
When ready to plant break out thii