CORN TILLAGE 185 



In the third method mentioned above, the rows should be at 

 least 4| feet apart. The first and second methods permit nar- 

 rower corn rows. 



174. The Williamson method of corn culture. Recently 

 a system of corn culture bearing the name of its originator, 

 Mclver Williamson, of South Carolina, has come into 

 prominence on account of some of the large yields that have 

 been produced by it or by modifications of it. The dis- 

 tinctive feature of this method consists in the stunting or 

 dwarfing of the young corn plant (1) by withholding a part 

 of the usual cultivation in the early period of the plant's 

 life, (2) by postponing the application of any fertilizer until 

 the plants are thoroughly stunted, and (3) by the root 

 pruning of the young plants by means of deep cultivation. 



While the intentional stunting belongs exclusively to 

 this method, the Williamson system of corn culture in- 

 cludes many good features that form a part of the practice 

 of the best farmers employing various methods. Among 

 the strong points of this method, and of other methods as 

 well, are the following : 



(1) Deep and thorough preparation ; 



(2) Frequent use in the rotation of cowpeas sown broad- 

 cast in the corn field, the effect of which is to enrich the 

 land; 



(3) The use of large amounts of fertilizers ; 



(4) Thick planting along the line of the row, which is 

 rendered especially practicable in the case of the William- 

 son method by the small size of the plants, the abundance 

 of the fertilizer, and the thoroughness of preparation. 



The following condensed directions are quoted from an article 

 by the originator of this method : 



