The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-07-18

will be the manure heap; the more plant
food will be returned TO the ground; the
larger the succeeding harvests will be, and
the greater the prosperity, material comfort,
conteutment and happiness of our people.
Let us realize the fact that the scale which
measures out the productive capacity of the
earth, fixes, unerringly, the amount of ma
terial prosperity, and with it the social and
moral well being of all society.
Farmer also refers TO a venture of mine
Tor more properly one of my sons in a
small crop of Strawberries, and wishes to
know the result, I cheerfully comply and
frankly state 10 him that although the
vines were too young TO produce full
crop-being planted only the season before
yet am satisfied they have done better
than cotton. The cost of vines was consid-
cradle, as well as material for boxes The
cost OF the plants should not be charged to
one, but the next three years. I lost the
cream OF the market through the failure OF
the manufacturer to ship me basket material
in time, but in spite of these drawbacks |
sold about $50 worth of berries per acre
This is fully twice as much money as we
realize from cotton. The crop is not
subject to many disasters as cotton; the
land is rather improved than injured by
them; they are not worked but a few months
in the year, and whatever money they bring
in, comes to the planter in June, when he
will still have to wait four or FIVE months
longer before he can get dollar from his
growing cotton crop. The fault with ouI
people Is, we despise small thing too much
and prefer to grow poor waiting for big
bale of cotton, to putting upon the market
throughout different months of the yeaI
such thing. potatoes, peas, fruit, hay
fresh meat, or bacon, eggs, chickens, etc
Who would suppose that feathers alone
shipped from Knoxville in one year, by the
NJ. and c. r. r., amounted to the sum Of
$4,000? This was greater than the export
of wheat or any other agricultural produc
ton from that place. The egg trade is by
no means a small thing, but many of oul
farmers have too enlarged uietrS to see any
! thing smaller than cotton bale And ye
I
duces but about SIS per acre, one-half O
which goes to the laborer, leaving rs tbs
magnificent result of $3.50 per acre, gros
! profit. What would be the nett profit o
cotton if We calculate all the costs of pro
| duction7 Are these figures small enough il
| vulgar fractions to express them? TIL,
only way to get profits from Gotten cFoI
is TO bring up the production by vegetable
or animal manure. This necessitates plant
ing less, as well as cultivating better.
If in answering the enquiries of Farmer
who is undoubtedly hooking to the i'm
Provement of the great agricultural inter
ests of our county and State, have salt
anything that will induce a single farme
to plant more largely of the cereals an,
grasses am content. Believing in diyer5i
flying our crops, would recommend va
riety Of crops suited to our soil and climate
Improved stock, and more of 1t, running
through hogs, cattle, sheep, etc 1t is a
cheap to raise good animal as poor one
and It certainly pays them better.
But have already taken up too much O
the columns of our agricultural friend ant
well wisher, the Bolivar Bulletin, in reply
ing to my friend Farmer
Should Farmer see the volume now il
press by the Commissioner of Agriculture 70
the State, he will there see, under the hea,
of '1aguminous plants" the high estimat
I place upon the Southern field pea and re,
clover for restoring the wasted fertility Q
4 our Southern soils.
Respectfully,
H. NJ Polk
from PocahontaS-