Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1877-10-17
Diversified Farming.

The Southern Plantation pub
fishes the following valuable com.
municatiou by Col. John II. Dent,
one Of the most intelligent and sue.
oessful Of Georgia's farmers:
Ny last was cautioning against
such largo crops of cotton being
planted ~ ruinous to the agricultu.
raj welfare of the South. The Plan.
tation Of 9th, in the editorial depart.
ment, has an article headed, "A
twenty acre farm" wherein is shown
by planting five acres Of corn, five
acres In wheat, five acres in cotton,
Ave acres In fruit, vegetables and
truck patches, by q system of high
farming, what can be done.
The amount OF crops indicated are
seasonable IN the estimates made,
and any energetic, industrious young
man can mako such crops on fair
farming lands. The editor further
remarks, "contrast that result with
the account Of the city gentlemen,
who has everything to buy. Even
though the latter may get good
salary, he will not have as much
ready money left at the end Of the
year. aud the writer might have
added, or the farmer that is cult.
waiting a four hundred acre farm
and making cotton his special crop.
The twenty acre farm is an illustra.
ton of diversified farming; and it is
as true as any certain fact, that the
only way to farm successfully is to
diversity the crop; and in accord.
ance with my experience it can be
probably done on farm of two
hundred acres in cultivation. But
where 1t is done on o two hundred
ncre farm, at least eighty acres
should be put down to small grain
crops, sixty to corn, fifty to cotton,
and ten acres to truck crops. NV
father maintains that two hundred
acres Is u farm large enough for any
farmer to cultivate with hired labor
If he wants to farm successfully.
This brings me to the subject di.
versified farming, which have ad.
vocatcd and recommended ever
since the emancipation OF slavery.
The farmers capital now chiefly
consists In his farm and stock, and
his interest is In improving his lands,
and making them more productive
and more valuable every year. This
can only be done by diversified
crops, and stock to furnish him
manures; for il he allows his farm TO
run down aud get less productive.
his capital is being diminished, aud
his income less as much. A provi.
dent farmer will keep an eve to
keeping HE lands, knowing that his
succoas 10 dependent upon their fer.
tility; and any rejecting farmer will
s0oo disooves that it will take the
bert Of management aud most un.
firing energy and industry to keep
up o two hundred acre farm, im.
proving In fertility aud keeping it
in repairs. On two hundred acre
farm 1t vii! ut take least seven Good
nulea " horses to cultivate il
properly, one yoke of good oxen for
hanling, four good cows, five breed.
ing sowa, and twenty sheep. That
70 ample stock for such sized farm.
bat It can support more If deemed
necessary. This stock should be
stabbed and penned of nights to
save the manure. Ten good hands
aro sufhcient as laborers. provided
you have the most improved plows-
and II the farm is owned by an
active, eoergetic, progressive young
mao, hire your hands for money
wages, and msn6ge the whole your.
self. But shoaId the owner be cd.
vaocod In lile, and rot capable of
active superintsndsaoe, get the most
hands you caa secure and
fhso on share system but keep an
eye yourself to I'D whole details.
Ihts y NY system-being old and
ln1rm-a0d ] have succeeded as
Vel a shy, and l have hands that