-- t-t
ONE -DULL A It PER YEAR
1 1 li N D E R S O N V I L LK. r N
, O
X II U RSD A Y, JANUARY 1 7, 1907
VOL. XVI NO. 8
y ft
i 1 !
HE WILLIAMSON
; PLAH OF CORH
CULTURE.
Wonderfal Results Obtained
from This Hew Process.
The Plan in Detail
The improved method of corn cul
ture was discussed by the Board of
Trade at its meeting: held, January 3,
1907, and the following was ordered to
be printed, so as to induce the farmers
of the county to fail in line with those
who have tried it : ' -
"The most important agricultural
discovery ever made in the southern
states " So sayw Prof.. Harper, prole-sor
of agriculture at Clemsun val
lege. ' . .. ; ;
"An amazing discovery destined to
revolutionize agriculture in, thesoutb."
So says Prof. O. Lewis Newman, asso
ciate professor of agriculture.
4,A success beyond question and too
far ahead of existing methods to per
niit a comparison. ' So say thousands
of farmers from, Virginia to Texas, who
have tried the plan.
A method that increased the yiold of
corn from 100 to 800 per cnt will cer
trinly work a revolution not merely
a change, but a far-reach iag revolu
tion -
E Mclver Williamson of Darlington
county has eyolved a plan for increas
ing corn yields that has done these
things indicated above.
So much has been published about
the plan and so many people are talk
ing about it so much hope rests upon
it that it is necessary to say that the
plan has resulted from ten years' care
ful exierimentation. There was no
chance in it Parts of the plan bad
been in use before But as a whole
Mr. Williamson has brought it out and
while he does not claim it as perfect,
nor ey-n yet comp'-ete. he does assert
and the facta bick it up, that the true
principle hs been found and on this
ail subsequent development must rest.
IDEA OF STUNTING CORN
This principle rests on the'idea of
stunting corn. Stunting is the word
Tniu may be done on any kind of soil,
according to the verdict of the farmers
at the recent corn congresa in Darling
ton, although Mr. Williamson himself
jays that he has no river land and
therefore knows nothing of the effect
on this kind of soil. Others say that it
makes no difference. The principle is
the same in every case, although it
may be varied according to condi
tious.
The plan will be described in detail
farther on in this article. Some of the
results as obtained by practical farm
ers are given herewith, and the testi
mony was alogher voluntary Any
one who has tried to get farmers to
talk will recognize how hard it is to
get expressions of opiuion from them,
and these expressions are the more
valuable in the light of thai fact
. December 13, 1906, a corn cougress
was held in Darlington, 8. 0., where
quite a number of those who have
tried the plau make their report an
follows :
R. H. Rogers, one of the staunchest
and most conservative farmers on the
state was made chairman. Mr.' Wil
liamson, originator of the plan ex
plained the object of the meeting,
stating that time and money had been
spent to bring this plab to a working
basis and the world xhoutd get the
benefit and that all those present
should give their experiences. He
stated that he had made on one acre
this year 101 bushels and 17 quarts.
15,000 stalk& on this acre.
J. B Edwards said he averaged 35
bushels to the acre. Did not follow
the plan closely. Believes, he would
have made fifty if he had followed the
plan, although extremely wet weather.
E. W. Mcintosh made 45 bushels per
acre with $6.00 worth of fertilizer. . :
Q. F. Wallace made 90 bushels to
the acre with 900 ib. of fertilizer, after
feeding a lot of fowls on it for two
months before gathering ' -
Mr. Good ho n ba-l. made 45 bus. and
his land was great! v . improved, more
than the value of the fertilizer. He
was no need to change anything in
he plan.
John Rogers said that on 35 acres of
and this year be had made 70 bus. to
the acre. S.ud this was the correct
way to raise corn. Lind had been im
proved more than value of fertilizer.
David R Ooker. an editor said this
discovery wa a tremendous thing for
thesouth. No one could form an idea.
how ugly it looked during the etunt
ing proces. A farmer passing Mr.
Williamson's field said to-? corn was
the poorest he had ever seen, but four
weeks later, said it was the finest
thing he ever saw
W. B. McCown said he had made
80 bushels on an average of six acres.
He put $13 worth of fertilizer to the
acre, and said he would not take $15
per acre ior me worm or ieriuizar ten
on the land He formerly made' on
the same land 10 bushels to the acre.
The nlan needs no change.
Fred W. Lw, averaged "40 bushels
on 24 acres. Forty aeres formerly did
not fill 1 is barn, although he had used
500 lbs. of fertilizer, to the acre. '
On 20 acres under this plan, he had
made ne-third more than on the 40
acres under the old plan. The 20 acrr-s
more than titled his barn anq be had
to build a nw onto hold the over
flow. Tnis w-'S not a good year for
corn and his land was left in better
coudiiion. . .
Wayne O. Kimr averaged aixtv
bu-heln on 26 acre.
K a, Grant of Hhesterfield county
u-40 acres made 76 bushels to the
ac e. Formerly hd made 2ft hrmhela
G. W -Abbott. M J. Mood v. and
others give strong testimony.
TRIED XN OTHjlR STATES .
E D. Smith, of the Southern Cotton
Association, says the plan has been
Tied with success in Texas and the
following letter is evidence enough of
how it takes in Alabama : "
v Montgomery, Ala., 8ept 18 06
Mclver Williamson. Mont Glare, s C
Averting to our conversation at Ho!
Springs, . with regard to : my request
for a sample of com grown after your
method, I now have to say that I "find
that I can grt such a sample near here
from a gentleman who was induced to
test same. Suffice it to say that the
gentleman in question is delighted,
aud agrees with me in that Vours is
the most valuable contribution that
has been made in many years to South
ern agriculture.
I shall push the matter in this state.
and expect to see it generally adopted
by our farmers.
1 he gentleman above referred to
tells me that be will make from 75 to
80 bushels, of corn to the acre after
your method, and on land which or
dinarily would not make more than 10
to 12 bushels
Yery resiectfully yours.
W. H. Seymour,
Pres. Ala. Div. A.
So many thousands have tried the i
plau in this and other states that it
would be a task to collect even the
most of the evidence.
It was tri d with notable success at
Santuc, in Union county, according to
the report of R R and James Jeter
and tne farmers are going to adopt
one piao exclusively next season.
Dr. it. R Jeter of Whitmire. New
berry couuty, vice president and gen
eral manager of the Glenn -Lowrj
Manufacturing comoany, tried it and
made the finest corn he ever made,
lespite a wet year, t nd not following
the plan closely
Capt D J. Griffith, the well knon
-tuperinteudent of the penitentiary,
and one of the best farmer a on the
state, tried 10 acres on his farm in Lax
ington county. He followed the plan
closely as he could, but on account of
be - excessive rainfall, wax not able
to apply fertilizer at the proper
time. He made 400 busheN on 10
acres. He made on the same land
under the old method 15 bushels to
the acre with 200 pounds of fertilizer
Capt Griffith says he cut the piece
describing the Williamson plan out of
the paper last spring. He is satisfied
that the plan is the true method of
cultivating com ; says there is not a
bit of doubt about it.
"From every - quarter of the state,
news has been received of thep'anbe
ing- tried and. founcTO K Nobody
ioubts it but those who have not tried
it. .
I made several measurements in the
rows on Mr. Williamson's plantation
The first 30 feet showed 34 stalks : the
second 39, the third 44, and the fourth
36 This makes a rough average of 38
ta1ks or about eight inches apart
This corn would average 65 bushels to
the acre.
ENORMOUS ROOT GROWTH
The enormous root growth is mark
ed. A grown man can hardly pul!
up the stalks now and cannot do so
when they are green.
Weighing the cob and the corn
shows that 87 50 per cent, is corn, or
against 60 per cent of the old method.
One of the notable features is the
arge, full ear : there are very few fal
ty ears and nubbing. I noticed this in
every pile of corn I saw while in Dar-
ington county." There is as much lm
provemeht in the average ear as in the
actual amount of corn made.
AS TO MR. WILLIAMS , ,
So solicitous is he that the plan
should be exploited for the benefit of
the "one-horse" farmer that Mr. Wil
liamson shuns personal notoriety of
all kinds. He has made nothing and
expects to make nomine o v his dis
covery, which is destined to change
the face of the country aud almost ai
.i bound make the 8 uth indipendent
of the : world. When the southern
farmer is raising bis corn and meat, be
can fairly well set a price on his cotton
and get it .
Owing to the interest manifested in
the Williamson plan of culture. The
Hustler today reproduces in detail the
disovery of a Darlington county far
mer It follows:
"For a number of years after I began
to farm I followed the old time method
of putting the fertilizer all under the
corn, planting on a level or Jngher, .six
'iy tbreefeet, pushing the plant from
the start and making a big stalk, but
the ears were few and frequently small.
I planted much corn in the.jspring and
bought much more corn the next spring
until finally I was driven to the conclu
sion that corn could not be made on up
lands in this section, certainly not by
the old method, except at a lo&s.
4I did not give up however, for 1
knew that a farmer who did not make
his own corn had never succeeded, and
never would, so I began to experiment
First, I plant'-d lower, and the yield was
better, but the stalK was still too large,
so I discontinued altogether the applica
tiou of fertilize s before planting, and
kn iwing that all crops should be ferti
lized at some time, I used mixed ferti
lizer as a side application and applied
th more soluble nitrate of soda later
being guided in this by the excellent
results obtained from its use as a top
dresser for oats. Still the yield, though
regular, was not large, and the small
ness of the. stalks, now suggested that
they sh uld be planted thicker in the
drill. This was done the next year
with results so satisfactory that I con
tinued from year to year to increase tbe
number f stalks and the fertilizer,
with which to sustain them, also to ap
ply nitrate of soda at last plowing, and
ud lay by early, sowing-eas broadcabt.
This" method steadily increased the
yield until year before last (1004) with
corn .11 inches? - apart, in slx-Joot rows
and $11. worth of fertilizer to the acre.
C made 84 bushels average to the acre,
several of my bet acres making as
much as-125 'bushel. ' f :
Last year(1905) I followed the same
method planting the first week in April
70 acres which had produced tbe year
before 1,000 pounds seed cotton per acre.
This land is sandy upland, somewhat
rolling. Seasons were very unfavor.
able, owing, to the tremendous rains in
May and the d ry and extremely hot
weather later. . From June 12. to July 12
the time when tt most needei. moisture,
there was only five-eigbts of an inch of
rainfall here; yet with $71)1 cost of
fertilizer, my yield was 52 bushels per
acre. Rows Were ix feet and corn 16
iuches in drill. r ,
"With this method on land that will
ordinarily produce 1.000 pounds of seed
cotton with 800 pounds of fertilizer. 50
bushels of corn per acre should be made
by using 200 pounds of cotton seed
meal, 200 p unds of acid phosphate and
loo pounds of kainit mixed, or their
equivalent in other fertilizers, and 125
pounds of nitrate of soda, all to be used
as side application as directed below.'
"On laud that will make a bale and
one-half of cotton per acre when welj
fertilized, a huadred bushels of corn
should be produced by doubling the
amount of fertilizer above, except that
300 pounds of nitrate of sod should be
used. ' . " .
"In each case there should be left on
the land in corn stalks, pea-, vines and
roots, from $12 to $16 worth of fertilizers
material per acre, besides the gi eat
benefit to the land fiom so large an
amount of vegetable matter. The place
of this in the permanent improvement
of land can nevr be taen by coinmer
cial fertilizer, for it i absolutely lm "
possible, to m ike lands ricb as long as
they tr9 looking lu vegetable matter.
"Land should be thoroughly and deep
y broken for corn, and this is the time
in a system ot rotation to deepen tnr
soil. Cotton requires a more compact
8 H than corn1 and while a deep soil is
essential to iti best development, It will
not produce as well on looe open land,
while corn a oes best on land throughly
broken. A deep soil will not only pro
duce more heavily thin a shalL pH
Tvith gttpdaeasoos, but ll will stand
V
more wet as well as more drv weather.
" In preparing for the corn cropj iandl
should be broken broadcast duiug the
winter one-fourth deeper than it has been
plowed before, or if much vegetable
matter i 8' being turned under, it may be
broken one-thiid deeper. This is as
much deepening as land will usually
tand in ne yar and produce well,
though it may be continued each year,
t t long as much dead vegetable matter
is being turned under. It may however
be subsoiled to any depth by following
in bottom . of turn plow furrow pro
vided no more of the subsoil than has
been directed is turned up. Break with
a two horse plow if possible, or better,
with disc plow. With the latter cot
ton stalks or corn stalks as large as
we ever make can be turned under
without having been chopped, and in
pea vines it will not choke or drag.
Never plow land when it is wet, if you
expect ever to have any use f r it again.
Bed with turn plow in six-foot rows,
leaving five inch balk.' When ready to
plant, break this out with scooter,
following in bottom of this furrow d ep
with Dixie plow, wing taken off; Ridge
theu on this furrow with same plow
still going deep. Run corn planter on
this ridge,' dropping one grain every
dve or six inche. Plane early, as soon
as frost danger is past, say first season
able spell after March 15th, in this sec
tion. Especially is early planting
necessary on very rich lands, where
stalks cannot otherwise, be presented
from growing too large. Give first work
ing with , harrow or any plow that will
not cover the plant. For second work
ing, ute ten or twelve-inch sweep on both
sides of corn, which .should now be
about eight inches high. Thin after
this working. It is not necessary that
the plants should be left all the same
distance apart, if the right number re
main to each -yard of row.
"Corn should not be worked again
until the growth has been soxetarded,
and the stalk so hardened that it will
never grow to large. This is the most
difficult point in the ; wh le process.
Experience and judgement are required
to know just how much the stalk sbou d
be stunted, and plenty of nerve is re
quired to hold back your corn whe-.
your neighbors, who fertilized at plant
ing time and cultivated rapidly, have
corn twice the size of yours. (They are
having their fun now. Yours will come
at harvest time) The richer tbe land
the more necessary it is that tbe stunting
process should be thorougly done.
When you are convinced that your
corn has been sufficiently humiliated,
you may begin , to make tbe ear. It
should now be from 12 to 18 inches high,
and look worse than you have ever
had any corn to look before.
'Put half your mixed fertilizer (this
being the first used at all) in the olo
sweep furrow on both sides, of every
other middle, and cover by. breaking
out this middle with turn plow. Abou'.
oue w-ek later treat the other middle
the same way. Within a few days side
corn in first middle with 16-inch sweep
Put all your nitrate of soda in this fur
row, if less fhan 150 pounds. If more,
u-e one-half of it now. Cover with one
furrow of turn plow, then sow peas i
this middle broadcast at the rate or t
least one bust-el to tbe acre, and finish
breaking out. .
- rlo a few days side corn in other mid
die with som sweep, put balance o
nitrate of sod i in tMs furrow, if it has
been divided, cover with turn" plow'
sow- peas, and break out. This lays by ,
your crop with a good bed and plenty ,
of dirt around your stalk. This should
be from J une 10 to 20 unless the season
a very late, and corn should be hardly
bunching for tassel.'
Lay by early. More corn is ruined
by late plowing than by lack of plowing.
Thhi is when the ear is hurt.--Two good
rains after laying by should make you a
good crop of corn, and it will certainly
make with much less rain than if pushed
nd fertilized in the old way.
V "The stalks thus-raised are very
small, and do not require anything like
the moisture even in proportion to size
that is necessary for large sappy stalks
They may, therefore, - be left much
thicker in the row. This is no new pro
cess It has long been a cuscom to cut
back vines and trdes in order to increase
the yield and quality of fru.t, and .so
Ing as you do cot hold back jour corn,
it will go like mine so long went, all to
stalk, v
Do not be discouraged by tbe Iok
of your com during the process of culti
vation. It will yield out of all propor
tion to its appearance. Large stalks can
not make large yields, except with ex
tremely favorable seasons, for they can
not stand a lack of moisture. Early ap
plications of manure go to make large
stalks, which you do not want, and the
plant food is all thus used up before the.
ear, which you do not want, is made
Tall stalks, not only will not product
well themselyes but will not allow you
to make tbe pea vines, so neccessary u
the improvement of land. Corn raisec
oy this nv-thod should never grow ove
seven and a half f et high, aud ' the ea:
should be near to th ground.
, T-consider the final application ol
nitrate of soda an essential point in this
ear-making ptocess. It should always
be applied at last plowing and unmixed
with other fertiliz rs.
'I am satisfied with one ear to thv
stalk, unless a prolific variety is plant
ed, and leave a hundred stalks for even
bushel that I expect to make. I fine
the six foot row easiest- to cultivate
without injuring the corn. For 50 bush-,
els to the acre, I leave 16 inches apart
rf6T57bU&he7sTtcf Uhe acre. 12'- Inches
9
apart, and for 100 bushels to the acre
eight inches apart. Corn should b
planted finm four to six inches below tlx
tevel, and laid by from four to 6 inches
above. No hoeing should be necessary,
and middles may be kept clean unti'
ime to break out, by using harrow oi
by running one shovel furrow in center
of middle and beddtug ou that, with one
or more rounds of turn plow.
"I would advise only a few acres tried
by this method, the first year, or until
you are familiar1 with its application.
Especially, it is hard at first to fully
carry out the stunting process, where a
whole crop is Involved, and this is the
absolutely essential part of the process.
This method I have applied or seen
applied, successfully, to all kindsof land
m this section except wet lands and
moist bottoms, and I am confident it can
be made of great benefit throughout the
entire South. .
In the Middle West, where corn is so
prolific and profitable, and where, un
fortunately for us, so much of ours has
been produced, the stalk does not natur
ally grow large. As we come south its
size increases, at the expense of
the ear until in Cuba and Mexi
co it is nearly all stalk (witness Mexican
varieties.) -
Tbe purpose of this method is to elim
inate this tendency of corn to overgrowth
at the expense of yield in this Southern
climate. ,
By this method I have made my corn
crop more. profitable than my cotton
crop, and my neighbors aid friends who
.ave adopted it, have without exception
derived great benefit therefrom.
Plant your own seed. I would not ad
vise a change of seed and method the
same year, as you will not then know
from which you have derived the bene
fit. I have used three varieties, and ail
have done well. I have never used this
method for late planting. In'fact I do
iot advise the late planting of corn, un
iess it be necessary for cold low lands.
The increased cost of laboc and the
high price of all material and land are
rapidly making - farming unprofitable,
except-to those who are getting from
nueacre what they formerly got from
two We must make our latuis richer
by plowing deep, planting peas and oth
er legumes, manuring them with acid
pbobphate and potash, which are relat
ively cheap aud returning to tbe soil the
resultant vegetable matters rich in hu
mus and expensive nitrogen. The needs
of oar soil are such that the South' can
never reap the full measure of prosperi
ty that should be hers until this is done
I give this method as a farmer to the
farmers of the South, trusting thnt there
by they may b beuefited as I have been
CONGRESSMAN GUDGER ILL
Washington, Jan. 5.
Hon.-Clement Maniey of Winston
Salem who came - here to investigate
the .lilackbu'n matter f c Go?eraor
Glenn has gone to New York, and no
sup is likely to b taken until he re
turns to the state when he will - explain
to the governor thr. result of his investi
gations. Congressman-elect Crawford of the
Tenth District is here and will remain
several da vs. He had a nl n.onfc talk"
with Hpeaker Cannon.- 'Uucle Joe'
As ol Successor to
Williams , ,
I will endeavor to main
tain the high standard of men
chaniiise carried by them.
Our offer to the trade is the best
value the markets have to offer
No item is so small that it will
not receive our best attention.
J. O. WILLIAMS.
M
I
Si
S5.00
$8l
G. M. Glazener.
he Original Mr-
m
ff "
ft
ATE.
Yen cannot vsziblj get foil heatir value '
fri.il 1l vmi n not use tl: c&XehriAfiK '
C4 V;ilo i JT T kX Heeler. The pttetit down -JV
. tliai. which ij perfected only in tho Vilson,
Stall No. One.
confided to Mr. Crawford that he would
have to cut but a lot of those damned
dinners,", as midnight lobsters do not
seem to agree with him any more.
Blackburn , is here and .refers all
newspaper men to his attorney. -
' Ashevllle, Jan. 5.
- Ashevllle friends and relatives of Con
gressman J, M. Gudger, Jr., are uneasy
about f the representative from the
Tenth District. When Congress ad
journed for the .holidays Mr. Gudger
and family went to New York to spend
the season with Mr. Gudger's son, Em-.
met Gudger, In the naval service" there.
the firm of Brooks &
re
The Stetson Shoe is not macb
to sell at a price. It is made
for quality only. The result is
real shoe valuer,
Every cent of the cost goes
for skillful, conscientious,
workmanship for better
leather -for better linings.
The Stetsqn is rightly
called The Better' Shoe.
See it before, you buy
your next shoes. .
Full lines all styles all
leathers. Tor sale by
- --j - x-
of fu I but Lun.s inlo actual
T ret'e! I. j.ses generated. This
nalicn of economy and
eiTjcicncy makes the ; ''
WILSON;;
HOT BLST
Down-Draft
HEATER
the mt aatisfactorj heater
sold. ' -
' Hardware Store
ENGLISH & GUIDE
DEALERS IN . -' . .
FRJESHI ;
MEATS
Also biy Hides CLnd
Firs and Old Ribbcir
Phono 54
New Marho'i