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l VOL. 3.
MlnNa Milt
JA mn FURNITURE COMPANY
HOW TO CULTIVATE
THE LAND FOR CORN
Some valuable informatoin which may or may
not interest you jotted down for the
benefit of the members of the
Farmers’ Corn Club.
Land should bo thoroughly and
.deeply broken for corn, and this is
the time in a system of rototion to
deepen the soil. The character of
plowing done in the South is noto
riously poor and the lack oi system
of rotation is provrchial.
A deep soil will not only produce
more heavily than a shallow soil
with good seasons, hut it will stand
more wet as well as more dry weath
er. This is aphoristic and needs no
comment.
In preparing for the corn crop,
should be broken broadcast
during the winter one-fourth deep
er than it has been broken before,
or if much vegetable matter is be
ing turned under it may be broken
one-third deeper. It may, how
ever, lie subsoiled to any depth by
following in bottom of turn plow
furrow, provided no more of the
snbsoil than is directed is turned
up. The broadcast breaking of
corn land in the fall or winter is
by no means a common practice in
the South and the gradual deepen
ing of the soil as advocated above
is the exception. Subsoiling is op
posed by many farmers and praj
ticed by few. Broadcast plowing,
fall and winter plowing (particular
ly the latter in the South) and sub
soiling are operations that now are
given almost universal endorseinene
ment by well informed and practi
cal men. If done at the proper
time and in appropriate association
with [prevailing conditions results
from these operations cannot help
but bear fruit.
Break With two-horse plow if pos
sible, or better, with disc plow. It
is a painfully acknowledged fact that
the one-horse plow is the rule in a
portion of the South and that this
implement is more frequently drawn
by an animal weighing less than 900
pounds than one of greater weight.
The actual performance of the
one-horse plow might more often he
designated tas ‘‘scratching” than
plowing. The depth to which it
works averages less than three inches
and it has been Ban important factor
in bringing about the washed con
dition of soils so noticeable where
cotton is king. The introduction
of the disc plow is one of the long
est forward ’strides ever made in
Southern agriculture. Unfortunate
ly, it requires two animals to draw
it.
Never plow land when it is too
wet, if you expect ever to have any
usefor it again. This is sound doc
trine in theory, principle and prac
tice.
■tall stalks not only will not pro
cTuce well themselves, but will not
%' Cotfjvan' loitrnat
COCHRAN, PULASKI COUNTY, GA., THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 1911.
allow you to make pea vines, that
arc so necessary to improve land.
A comparison of the ears produc
ed by the Williamson plan with ears
of the same variety grown by ordi
nary method shows that there is but
slight difference in size or in quan
tity of corn to the cob, the differ
ence being apparently about nine
and a half per cent in favor of the
ordinary .plan. More of the large
stalks failed to produce an ear than
did the Williamson Plan stalks.
The ordinary plan stalks, were
from to five times larger than the
Williamson plan stalks. Since a
bout 400 pounds of water are re
quired to produce one pound of corn
dry matter, it is evident that the
large stalks more rapidly exhaust
the water supply and as a conse
quence would not only he first af
fected in dry weather, but woiild se
riously interfere with the growth of
cow peas sown with tne corn, a vi
tal consideration as part of the Wil
liamson Plan. It was a noticeable
fact that the replanted stalks in Mr.
Williamson’s field and in others
grew r to at least double the size of
the stalksthat had been subjected to
the full treatment of the Williamson
plan.
Corn should be planted from four
to six inches below the level and
laid by from four to six inches a
bove. It is necessary that the corn
be planted about live inches below
the level to carry out the conditions
of the plan. If, however, it is laid
by four to six inches above the lev
el of the soil’s surtace, the base of
the stalk would be from eight to
twelve inches in the ground, a con
dition that might be unfavorable
in some characters of soil. Fur
ther, the surface at the row would
be more than four to six inches
above the center of the middles, and
.this exposure of a greater soil sur
face to the effect of evaporation
would probably have a detrimental
effect in dry seasons. Planting 4
inches deep in many soils in the up
per part of the state is not advisable
on account of the nature of the sub
soil.
No hoeing should be necessary,
and middle may be kept clean until
time to break out by using harrow,
or by running one shovel fufrow to
center of middle and bedding on
that, with one or more rounds of
turn plow. Since the com is plant
ed in the water furrow and at least
four inches above the ground’s level
it is not a difficult matter to kill all
or very nearly all of the weeds in
the row by covering them with earth
by using some kind of horse power.
Hoeing is one of the most expensive
We have the nicest and most up-to-date
line of bed room, dining room and parlor
suits we have ever shown.
We have M&hogatiy, Early English,
Walnut and Golden Oak.
Be sure to give our store a visit and see
the new goods, get our prices and save money.
elements in corn growing and many
farmers find it difficult to dispense
with. If the same work can be done
by one plow the labor of six or eight
hands is saved.
In the middle West, where corn
is prolific and profitable, and where
so much of ours has been produced,
the stalk does not naturally grow
’arge. As we come South its size in
creases at the expense of the ear, un
til in Cuba and Mexico it is nearly
all stalk. It is a well established
fact that as the tropic is approach
ed the size of corn stalks increases
and this increase is often at the ex
penseof the grain. The large stalks
demands and transpires an immense
quantity of water in excess of that
needed in the development of the
grain. The occurance of drought
when the earn stalk has developed,
its maximum leaf area prevents a
normal grain dcvelopement after the
stalk has grown to a size demanding
a large supply of soluahle plant food
The Williamson plan contem
plates [ the application of available
plant food, just as the ear-making
begins and after the size of the stalk
lias been controlled. Some corn
growers do not endorse the necessi
ty for the “stunting” or retarding
process and are of the opinion that
the stalk should be kept in a uni
formly vigorous growth, allowed to
develop to a size normal to the vari
ety and then give the intercultural
or side application of fertilizers in
conformity to Mr. Williamson’s
plan. A number of experiments
based on this idea have beeen exe
cuted but no remarkable results or
conclusions have followed. The late
applications of fertilizers following
the application of fertilizers in the
drill before planting has generally
shown an increase, hut the increase
in the majority of cases reported was
not sufficient to balance the cost of
the late applied fertilizer.
Not only does the tendency of
corn seem to become less prolific as
the stalk is increased in size beyond
what appears to he normal for any
particular variety, but the excessive
development of stalk also seems to
carry with it an increased tendency
towards barrenness. Varieties of
corn that have developed in the
South or that have for a number of
consecutive years been grown here
habitually are large stalked. Vari
ety brought South from the North
increase rapidly in size of stalk, the
experiment station this year grew
Mexican June corn from seed im
ported from Mexico side by side
with the same variety grown in Tex
as. The stalks of the former were
fourteen to seventeen feet high and
of the latter seven to ten feet.
Plant your own seed. It has been
repeatedly demonstrated that seed
eohi procured from localities either
north or south of the point where
seed are to be planted will not pro
duce so well as seed grown under
soil and climatic conditions to whicli
the coining crop will be subjected.
Notwithstanding the fact that very
few farmers devote intelligent atten
tion to the breeding selection and
care of their seed corn, many And
that their home grown seed produce
better than the high priced seed pro
cured from a distance and discredit
the ad vantages, of breeding and se
lection by drawing conclusions from
comparisons not justly comparable.
Mr. Williamson not only uses his
own seed, but practices careful
selection and has selected his seed
for a number of years. The writer
once collected 119 samples of corn
from localities scattered from the
Canadian border to the Gulf of Mex
ico on onp hand and from the Rock
y mountains to Maine on the other.
These samples represented 20 odd
varieties and wore planted and
grown under conditions as nearly
similar as possible. Four out of
five highest yields were from home
grown seed and the other had for
many years been grown on very near
ly the same parallel of latitude as
the point where the test was made.
Planting your own seed does not
mean that any old seed you have
will grow, presupposes that the va
riety grown has been grown for sev
eral years and that the grower not
only started out with good variety
but has improved it by breeding.
The essential Williamson plan
features are:
1. Deep and thorough prepera
tion of seed bed. The soil is not
only broken to fully twice the depth
to which it is usually broken, hut
is broken jnore thoroughly t ban is
thp custom.
2. Deep planting of the seed.
The seed arc placed four to six
inches below the soil level and al
most in contact with the subsoil but
covered to the usual depth. This
aids in “stunting” or retarding the
growth of young corn and of grasses
as well, since nearly all the soil has
been plowed away from the corn
row and no fertilizer has been ap
plied.
3. Infrequent and partial culti
vation in early stages of growth.
This is contrary to popular belief
and practice and Mr. Williamson
styles it “the most difficult point in
the whole process” requiring expe
rience and judgement. To know
just how much the stalks should be
stunted, and plenty of nerve is re
quired to hold back your corn when
your neighbors, who fertilize when
planting and cultivate rapidly, have
corn twice the size of yours.
4. An increase of 200 per cent,
or more in the number of stalks per
acre. With rows six by one feet the
Williamson plan has a little more
than 7, 300 stalks per acre against
a little more than 2,900 if planting
is done five by three feet, in accor
dance with the ordinary practice.
Theoretically, this would give 73
and 29 bushels per acre, respective
ly, and it seems, from evidence at
hand, that is borne out in practice,
assuming that each stalk will pro
duce an ear and 100 ears will shell
a bushel of grain.
5. Posponing application of fer
tilizers until corn is given its sec
ond cultivation. In ordinary prac
tice this would be about ;the time
corn should be worked the third time
The stalk has been checked as was
desired ard fertilizer is applied at
the right time to develope the ear.
6. Intentional retardation of
early growth of the stalk until its
FURNITURE
Cochran, Georgia.
size is reduced one-half or one'fourth
its normal development.
7. Augmented development of
the ear (following retardation in
stalk developed)by cultivation and
heavy applications of fertilizers at
appropriate intervals.
Since the Williamson corn plan is
planted four to six inches below the
level and is laid by four to six inch
cs above the level, there is eight to
twelve inches of the stalk below the
soil surface. The stalk roots are
below the surface when the crop is
laid by and probably perform their
nutritive functions better than if a
part were exposed to the air.
All-. Williamson recommends the
following amounts of fertilizers to
an acre:
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Your presence will be appreciated
at our store ; : :
FRIDAY, MARCH 24.
We will have on display one of the
largest and most attractive lines of
Spring Millinery
Including both French and American
patterns* Prices Reasonable*
A great showing of Dress Goods,
Ladies Ready-to-wear Apparel and
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NUMBER 41.
For 50 bushels of corn per acre:
200 pounds of cotton seed meal
200 hundred pounds of acid phos
phate
400 pounds of kainit
125 pounds of nitrate of soda
925 pounds costing about $9.
For 100 bushels of corn per acre:
400 pounds of cotton seed meal
400 pounds of acid phosphate
800 pounds of kainit
300 pounds of nitrate of soda
1,900 pounds costing about sl9.
The total cost of fertilizers, culti
vation, etc., for producing 50bush
els on one acre would vary from sls
to S2O and for producing 100 bush
els or. one acre from $25 to S3O.
These valuations are based on the
market prices of the fertilizers, (as
(cont’o on page 8 4tii col.]