62 The Bulletin. 



vation I used 100 pounds of nitrate of soda iu a shallow furrow beside 

 the corn and split middle with five-hoe cultivator. About ten daj's later I used 

 100 pounds of nitrate of soda in the other row, used as stated above, which 

 was the last cultivation. I gave the corn two thorough cultivations with 

 five-hoe cultivator and two with cotton plow, running very shallow each time. 



I planted the corn IS inches in the drill, two to four grains in each hill, 

 and harvested 132i^ bushels of corn, which was the largest yield in my dis- 

 trict. I had what I considered ideal seasons, and found that I made a big 

 mistake by planting my corn too far apart in the drill and too few stallfs in 

 the hill. Therefore, I resolved to try to plant 1911 crop thicker in the drill and 

 have my rows 3 feet 10 inches apart, instead of 4 feet, as in 1909 and 1910. 



On this 1910 acre I won the first district prize given by the State Board of 

 Agriculture, which was $25 ; the first county prize, a runabout buggy given by 

 the nines Buggy Company of Murfreesboro, and a King weeder given by the 

 Progressive Farmer contest. 



In December, 1910, I selected an acre of laud upon which my brother had 

 gathered 126.5 bushels of corn, this being the acre used by me in the 1909 

 corn contest. 



I hauled out 10 wagon-loads of stable manure and spread it broadcast over 

 the land ; Ix^dded it some 12 to 14 inches deep. 



About February 1, 1911, I reversed the beils, plowing the same depth as stated 

 above, and ran deep furrows between the l)eds as before. March 21st I listed 

 the land with two-horse plow, two furrows to the row, 12 to 14 inches deep, and 

 leveled it with a disc harrow as deep as I could. 



I then broke the laud about 12 inches deep with a two-horse plow, followed 

 behind in the same furrow with subsoil plow 6 to S inches deep, making total 

 depth of breaking about IS inches. 



I ran off my I'ows with a cotton plow 3 feet 10 inches apart, and on the first 

 day of May I planted "Biggs seven-ear corn" G inches apart in the drill, 3 to 5 

 grains in each hill, with a Centennial corn planter. I used $9.15 worth of 

 fertilizer, including 200 pounds nitrate of soda. I put all fertilizer in drill 

 under corn when planted except the nitrate of soda. One hundred pounds of 

 this was sown broadcast about the first of June and harrowed in with an 

 iron-tooth harrow. 



Up until this time there had been only one good rain since the corn was 

 planted. The weather was so dry for the next four weeks my corn began to 

 parch, and about the 1,5th of July my neighbors said I would not make as 

 much as I planted. About the 20th of July we had fine rain and cloudy, damp 

 weather for several days. Then I scattered 100 pounds more of nitrate of soda 

 between the rows as a top dresser. The corn at this time had blown down so 

 badly I could not cultivate it any more, and it was really difficult to walk 

 through it. However, I have carried out the instructions and methods advo- 

 cated by the Farmers' Cooperative Demonstration Work, with the exception 

 of doing the subsoiling in the spring instead of the fall. After the corn was 

 planted I did not use any implement in the cultivation except the harrow and 

 light cultivator running very shallow. 



I am happy to say that the result was the largest yield ever known to this 

 section, 235.5 bushels field measurement, making 195 bushels of dry shelled 

 corn, I am satisfied that it is possible to grow 250 bushels of corn on one acre 

 of land, and I propose to work toward this end in 1912. If all the farmers 

 in North Carolina would follow the demonstration plans our State would 

 have plenty of corn to sell to our Western farmers at a handsome profit the 

 year around. My corn only cost me 24 cents per bus'hel, which shows the 

 yield was the result of good methods, and not the extravagant use of com- 

 mercial fertilizer. 



FREE TRAVELING LIBRARIES. 



Prop. L. R. Wilson, Librarian of the University of North Carolina. 



Gentlemen of the Convention: I appreciate the opportunity of coming before 

 you for just a few minutes to speak about a thing in which I think you are 

 all interested — that is, a system of free traveling libraries for North Carolina, 

 especially for rural North Carolina. To explain what I mean : there is a 

 Library Commission in the State, appointed by the Legislature of 1909 and 



