The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1871-10-19
To the EDITORS Southern Cultivatol
Mixed Farming.

rev farmers are aware CT the adj
Vantages of "mixed farming"
will attempt to give some of the ad.
vantages.
LIST. Increase of acreage and pro-
duction per hand.
End. Better system of rotation,
requiring the soil to be devoted less
often to the same product.
3rd. Better prices for the different
products of the farm.
4th. The advantage of having a
little of every thing to sell instead
of buying,
9Th. In giving better means in
keeping up fertility of soil.
9th. In keeping the soil in better
condition for cultivation and growth
of plants.
18th. In enabling the farmer to
plant, cultivate and gather his crop
at the proper time.
9Th. In giving employment the
year round.
We will first consider the greatest
of decisions, the "all cotton" mania.
The man that plants nothing but cot~
ton, cannot cultivate more than
eight or ten acres per hand. He is
pressed to prepare his land and put
that in at the proper time. AS re-
CARDS farming operations, he has had
nothing to do up to that time. After
planting, there is probably lull in
the business. After laying by, a
loss of time until cotton picking, and
although he may work thirteen
months IN the gear, he will have to
hire a great deal of cotton picked,
which is troublesome and expensive.
He will have a lot Of cotton consids
erably damaged and wasted in the
field. By over production, he will
have to sell at very low price. He
will, of course, have meat, bread,
etc., to buy, the demand for which
will cause them to sell high. He will
consequently come out in debt
Now, by planting ten acres in corn
and but five in cotton, his cultivated
area would be increased five or six
acres; value of product per hand
would be increased at least Une-third.
Work would commence earlier in the
year, and would be more evenly dis
tributed-cotton would be higher,
and provisions cheaper. But the
corn and cotton man has his draws
backs. lie is pressed to prepare his
land and plant in season. There is
lull in laying by; cotton picking
is extended into winter price of
cotton too low to be remunerative !;
corn too high to raise his own meat
and feed stock on it economically.
He cannot follow . smooth rotation,
and cannot keep up fertility of his
land without buying manure.
Now, if the corn and cotton man
will plant and divide his crop as fol-
lows: five acres in corn, three in
cotton, one in Chinese cane, half
acre in potatoes, eight acres in oats,
ten in wheat, ten in clover, or peas,
or hay and green manuring, from
fifty to seventy-five in grass for pas.
turage winter and summer, per hand,
he will reap the following advantages:
Increase Of area per hand at least
four fold, smooth rotation of crops,
the means of increasing fertility of
land, employment for labor the year
round, everything in its season, no
pressure of work, remuncrativo pri-
ces for produce, stock and provis,
ions to sell instead of having to buy,
moro remuneratiye farming, better
wages for laboring classes, better
control Of labor, q surplus of labor
that can be devoted to manufactur-
ing, a surplus of provision that will
feed the manufacturer, manufactures
that will give a MARKET to the farmer,
both in selling and buying.
OBADIAH JONES.
Min, Springs, Ark.