The dispatch-news. [volume] (Lexington, S.C.) 1919-2001, 1922-11-15

field of cotton Of early planting that
will produce bale to the acre. and
this was compared with a later plant
Ing of the crop. Wien MIR. Drake
bought the land he now has under
high s.ate of cultivation. very little
OF II was in good condition, and it has
been said that much of it was so poor
that 1t could not be rented. He made
half bale to the. acre. about is
bushels of corn, and from to. 10
bushels OF wheat TO the acre. Mr..
Winters referred to the fact that many
people, laughed at Mr.. Drake at the
time he purchased his land. and
thought him prospect for the insane
asylum.
Less Infection
Mr.. Winters said that out of many
farms that he had observed during
the past few weeks, Mr.. Drake has
a higher percentage of' uninfected
hollis than any he has seen thus far.
The farmers were then taken to an
other field where they were shown
cotton following clover and where
there had been-no clover, showing a
favor of the clover. While both fields
of cotton were splendid as COM
pared with a great deal to be seen in
this section, the stand produced with
out clover was poor compared with
that where clover had been used.
in preapring his land for cotton,
Mr.. Drake uses approximately 800
pounds Of acid phosphate, 100 pounds
of soda and 100 pounds Of fish scrap.
This he has found to be well bal
anced fertilization. Mr.. Winters
then showed the farmers field Of
cotton following velvet beans, and
other fields where late and early
planting were compared, showing a
difference of quarter bale to the
acre, with but only about three weeks
difference in the planting.
The Biggest Qustion.
''Mr. Winter explained that prob
ably the greatest obstacle with which
Mr.. Drake had had to contend has
been the Improvement Of the soil,
wherein lies the secret of the unus-
ually fine results which he has pro-
duced. Numbered among Mr..
brakes accomplishments along this
line, is the filling of sixteen of the
seventeen gullies formerly in n state
that prohibited cultivation entirely,
and now hardly to be recognized as
the uncultivated wastes they once
We're. Due to the rolling, and in
some instances, hilly land on Mr..
brakes farm, the conservation of soil
has required drastic action. What he
has accomplished in doing this has
EFseen-b by means of winter cover crops
and teracing. An unusually fine sys-
tenn of terracing is that on Mr..
brakes farm, and one which has been
the virtual salvation of many fields
which otherwise would probably be in
4 poor state of cultivation :"
Mr. Drake raised in 1921 the fol-
lowing number OF bushels of grain
per acre: Corn 50; wheat 25; oats co;
rye 30. He produced $50 bales OF
COTTON on 100 acres iast year; his
highest Yield was Two bales per acre
Cotton on the Drake farm WAS
planted this year on April and April
18th. The first planting is expected
to yield bale to the acre; while the
later planting will not turn out &C
well. There has been no difference
IN cultivation and treatment, but it has
been demonstrated that early planting
is best where boll-weevils are at work
Speaking of Mr.. brakes efforts to de.
feat the weevil, the Greenville IS. c.
News says:
Mr.. Drake busted his cotton with
calcium arsenate four times durins
the month of July, the total cost he
ing S2.5 per acre. He would hav,
busted during August ais obut ther,
mas beer no rain on the Drake farm
s'hce july {. making it impossible t,
use tho dusting method to any adyan
| tage.
I Mr.. Drake did not leave the dust
ths operation to some negro" but TIL
owner of the farm, with tho aid of ,
son. ana the work. Twelve night
curing the month of July the dustin,
opera'ion Went on, ;ae owner and hi
son attempting to catch a little slee,
GNf!ng the day that they might fish
! the weevil by night.
me. WecVl came but il did no
stay.