Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1911 — RECORD CORN CROP [ARTICLE]

RECORD CORN CROP

South Carolina Boy Grows 228 Bushels on Single Acre. Fifieen-Year-Old Lad Kept Diary, Knowing Public Would Want Details—Wins Quite • Bunch of Money In Prizes. Charleston, S. C.—Jeremiah Moore Is the champion boy corn grower in the world, and his record of over 228 ■bushels of corn of the finest quality, grown on a single acre, is the second greatest acre yield in the history N os -corn production, the only record that tops Jerry’s being that of Farmer Drake, also of South Carolina, who several years ago grew 255 bushels on one acre. < - Jerry Moore, who is an .orphan, is not yet 15 years old, yet on his one acre he has made more money than thousands of farmers with 100 acres will dear this year. His prises from agricultural societies and kindred organisations will aggregate over SSOO, while the profit from the corn itself will amount to $130.70. Jerry knew he was going to make a bid for championship honors, and though he is nothing but a poor little South Carolina farm boy, be baa the news instinct and realised that if he did win, the newspapers would want to know how he did it, and so, in order that the story would be correct, Jerry kept a diary. The diary, it is said, will pass into the keeping of the Department of Agriculture in Washington, which will see to It that other boys in this country are given the secret of Jerry's success and encouraged to follow his example. Here is the diary in part: "Light, gray, sandy upland," the diary starts off, “with top soil about three or four inches deep. Old land, nearly level, with just enough drain for the water to run off. During first part of March, 1910, spread 300 onehorse wagon loads of rich dirt on my acre, and followed it with 50 onehorse wagon loads of fertilizer, the latter scattered broadcast” March 25—Land broken with Dixie plows One Dixie following the furrow of the other and with the two breaking about 10 or 12 inches deep. The soil was so well pulverised, did not harrow; rebroke like It waa the first time. March 29—Harrowed and laid off In tows fest wide with Dixie plow. Distributed (Mi pounds of guano, containing 8 per cent of phosphoric acid, 3 per cent of ammonia, and 3 per cent or potash, in Dixie fur row and covered with furrows making a small ridge. March 80—Opened ridge with shovel plow and dropped three gallons of Bates's four-ear prolific corn, dropping by • and and almost sowing. Cover.ng corn with small shovel plow 2*4 Inches de.'p. Note—On this same day sowed 800 pounds of acid phosphate on rows and narrowed surface all over, leaving it level. April 10—No rain since land waa broken, and ground so dry the rusty corn did nov come up readily. Replanted for fear I would not get a stand. April 20—Stand good, and weather continues dry. April 24—A good rain. April 25—Sowed 700 pounds kalnit along rows and harrowed with Little Joe harhow, harrowing twice to the row. Barred off with Dixie plow. May 6—l made a mixture of 600 pounds of cotton seed meal, 200 pounds of acid phosphate, and 200 pounds of kalnit. and with a cold distributor sowed on each side of the rows, and liarrowed. going twice to the row. leveling the surface aa near as passible. .May 10-Repeated the work of May 6, but distributed the mixture of cotton seed meal, phosphate, and kalnit four Inches further from the rows On this day also sowed 2i>» pounds of nitrate of soda along the rows. May 17—Harrowed, going twice to the row; thinned corn to six inchsa In row. May 24—Harrowed, going twice to the row May 25-Oood ralh May 27—Using a cold distributor, sowing In the center of middle 1,000 pounds 8:3:1 guano and harrowed with Little Joe harrow. going twice to the row. Same day Sowed 200 pounds of nitrate of soda along the row. June 4—Harrowed, going twice to the row June 6 and o—Good rains. June B—Sowed 3><) pounds of nitrate of •oda and harrowed twice to the row. June 10—Storm and corn blown down. June 11—Set cost*- up: com about six feet high and beginning to silk. June IS— Harrowed very lightly with IJitlc Joe harrow, going twice to the , June 22—Harrowed lightly; com trow tn full silk; ground perfectly clean. Since June 6 rains have been frequent. No alg * * nrln * » *or any KifMl. “f* 1 Of rain so far. and com almost matured. Almost every stalk has *° ear and many of them twa m Urns

There is on the aofa about 21.000 stalks and more than RO.OO. cars. Gathered fodder middle of August. Corn at this time very ripe. Jerry (hen goes on to say that he gathered in 3,000 pounds of fodder, which he sold tar S3O, and then be gathered in his corn, after whiteh he gives the names of the men who measured his acre and later weighed its yield, which was 228% bushels. This is the cost of it all, as given out in Itemized fora by the boy farmer: Rent of acre..* . S6OO Cost of preparation of seed bed... 1.! 40U Cost of planting ?00 Cost of fertilizing ‘ gt 55 Coat of cultivation ’ jj'jo Coat of gathering corn g oo Cost of gather.ng fodder goo Total cost »i 2 « BALANCE SHEET. Total value of crop.. ZSSTS Less all expen5e5.......... 12105 Net prollt of crop $190.70 “As the dirt has no commercial value,” concludes this little chap, “I did not count it In the list of commercial expenses, and the land has been Improved at least SSO by the dirt and fertilizer. “ The name of Jerry Moore has now become a household word in every farm home in the South and West. Among the prizes won by the boy is a free trip to Washington, where he will meet President Taft and receive the congratulations of the nation’s chief on his achievement