Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-02-21

The following paper on the 1eFIlllEd-
ton of corn, prepared by c. K. McClel-
land. agronomist, of the Georgia tx
pertinent Station at Griffin, will be OF
interest and profit to all Sumter coun7
ty farmers:
In Bulletin No. 70 Of the Georgia Elk
ner5ment Station will be found de-
tailed description of the Williamson
method of growing corn. This method
is sometimes called the stunning
method since the idea involved is to
produce little stalk as possible, al
lowing most of the plant food in the
soil to be used for the production OF
he ear, thereby obtaining large pro
portion of ear to stalk and larger
Weld. The principal point in the prac-
tice of the method is the Withholding
of the fertilizer until the corn is knee
high. OF until the second cultivation,
at least, though there are some
changes also in the cultural practice.
For sevearl years, the Georgia Elk.
pertinent Station tried the method as
given by Mr.. Williamson and similar
method as practiced by Mr.. Gilmore,
one of the directors of the station, but
in late years have tried simply the
practice of putting the fertilizer
around the corn as compared with rut-
ting it under before planting.
The results of the earlier tests as
taken from the bulletins of tie station
show that in 1907, there was a gain OF
11.3 bushels per acre for the William
son method as compared With the Gil
more method. (Mr. Williamson advis-
ed rows feet apart, Mr.. Gilmore 5
feet, while our ordinary method of
planting has been in four foot rOws)
In 1908, these methods gave 22,9 bush
els, 296 bushels and 341 bushels re-
spectively. In 1909 the Williamson
method gave 34.2 and the ordinary but
26.2; in 1910, 40.8 against 42.2 in 1911,
14.7 bushels while the ordinary gave
15.9. In 1913 the Williamson method
again loomed up with 25.3 against 1874
for the ordinary method.
IN tie later tests comparing the
yields when putting the fertilizer I'M
der aad around, we find the results to
vary as follows: In 1914 putting it
around ltduced the yield IL per cent;
III 1915 there was gain of 8 per cent;
in 1916 = gain of 1874 per cent; in
1917 a loss of 16 per cent, and in 1918
a gain of % per cent there being an
average gain for these five years of
~ per cent by putting the fertilizer
around as compared with putting it
aLder the corn. Though there is some
advantage in this method of putting it
around there are also some objections
20 It. If the fertilizer is put down be-
fore the corn is planted there is little
danger of it teaching and at the same
no great rush, but if it be withheld
until the corn is knee high it often
happens that there is a rush on at
that ,lme-the corn will be to work
and the cotton too, and the cotton will
likely be needing chOpping at the
same time, and there may be other
work with sweet potatoes or other
crops coming along also at that par
ticul;r time, all being pressing and
the busy farmer will not know which
way to turn. If the labor on the rarna
is above or at the necessary quota, it
may be we'll to delay the fertilizing,
bat if the labor is below quota, it will
hardly pay to leave it and run the
risk of congestion of the work and liza
bility to get "in the grass" should it
turn off wet. "A n
In some tests in which different
amounts of fertilizer were used with
ont nitrate the average results for the
years 1915, 1916 and 1917 were 202
bushels for no fertilizer 208 for 200
pounds. 24.7 for 400 pounds, 252 for
500 pounds, 1916 for 500 pounds, 24S
for 1000 pounds and 261 bushels for
1900 pounds of fertilizer per acre.
This shows inconsistent gains for the
use of the fertilizer as we'll as an un-
economical use of much that was ap-
piled. The application of 400 pounds
gave an increase of one bushel for
each one hundred pounds of fertilizer
no other amount either above or be-
low have a like benefit. In this con-
nection we wish to call attention to
the fact that given a good soil in fair
filth, water is the limiting factor in
corn production, rather than the kind
or amount of fertilizer or the place
of applying it. If moisture is wanting
at fho critical Dnrin1 Io4or ro inc mill