The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-07-03
what Crops Shall Farmers Growi

farmer every spring as one OF great lui-
portance. He very naturally wants to
raise such crops as will pay the cost OF
growing and leave him little profit
besides. If there is any particular crop
that promises to be in excess OF demand
with prospective prices too low to pay
cost of growing, lie would wish to re-
duce his ordinary acreage; and on the
other hand, if any particular crop Is
likely to be little scarce. and conse-
auently in demand, he would probably
be disposed to plant or sow in excess of
his ordinary acreage. But this is hard
ly a safe rule. Many farmers have suf-
fered loss by adopting it. IL any ex-
isting causes point to prospective de-
mand for any particular product, In this
age of rapid and general diffusion OF in
formation among the people, large |
proportion of the farmers OF the country
will know it and extend its culture, and
the result will probably be Disappointing.
Such a result has been realized repeat
edly with potatoes. From partial fail
ure of the crop on certain years, pota-
toes have brought high prices and their
culture been SO extended the following
year that they became drug and
hardly paid for handling.
The better way is for the farmer to
determine what crops in regular demand
are best adapted to his soil and climate
and also to his own abilities, what pro-
portion of each he can grow to best ad-
vantage and then continue, with little
variation, to cultivate about the
same number of acres of each crop
from year to year. The one who pur-
sues such q course for a series of years
will meet with fewer losses and accu-
mulate more than the one who changes
from one crop to another according as
the prices have ruled the previous year.
Corn is always a safe crop for farmer
to raise if he has good corn soil. He
can feed it to something that will prob
ably return its value and leave a great
proportion of is on the land to sustain
its fertility. Then it is good crop to
pulverize and clean the soil with. just
consider the great variety of products
the farmer can manufacture out OF corn,
by using different kinds of animal ma
chimes: Eggs, chickens, turkeys, ducks,
geese, pork, veal, beef, milk. butter.
cheese, lamb, mutton, wool and horses.
!. Out of this great variety he must be able
! to select some that will pay for the OUT
i Law. The rules for growing corn are
. very simple: Make the ground rich.
= pillow moderate depth, harrow fine, Sc
!. iect the best of seed, drill in rows from
1t three and half to four feet apart and
harrow as it comes up till properly
thinned in the drills; or. if you prefer,
plant in rows three and a half feet each
way. and after the corn is up, cultivate
it and keep cultivating it so long as a
horse can go through without breaking
down too much corn. If you are moi
able to cultivate so as to destroy weed:
in the hill, use the hoe. Phosphate'
can generally be drilled in with the corr
= profitably, or when planted in hills
dropped over the seed when half enough
soil has been drawn upon them, ant
then the remainder placed above tn
fertilizer. We prefer putting it owe
\ rather than under the seed, becaus
\ light rains will reach and dissolve
there that would fail to reach it below
4 the seed.
Oats, one year with another, is pay
ing crop, if as much care is exercised !
selecting and preparing the soil as
e usually shown other crops. But If 20
IL SOW with oats poor. water-soaked, col
to soils. and do it in slovenly manne
'. YOU have no right to expect payin
4 crops.
2. Barley is more risky than oats, on
% wear with another, but when soil, seaso
3 and prices are favorable it pays bette
The claim that barley is less exhaus
inc than oats has never been provel
Their composition does not differ vel
materially and we can see nothing
e the plea that barley roots are more CT
cumscribed and draw their nourishmel
n. from limited portion of the soil. 4
= to the moral question, every farm
~ must decide that according to the al
>" tates of his own conscience. we pr
ferred, when a farmer, to raise tho
crops that would benefit and bles
:. rather than curse, debilitate and destr
mankind, so to speak.
ste Potatoes, in favorable soil and loca
Va ties. are about as profitable crop
"a anv grown bv the farmer. On san
RS and gravslly loan, near markets, abe
tn as much money is made by potatoes,
on by any other crop on the same num-!
" OF acres. They are heavy handil
i" and will not pay to haul very FAR
nd market. Some seasons they are W
low and hardly pay expenses, but tn
very likely the next season they Will
Il. unusually high and pay better than
Uc other crop.
lin We have always been OF the opinl
llO that farmers generally should kee
few sheep, both for the wool ana
m the sale of the young lambs to
I'LL butcher when proximity to good m
Us kets makes them in demand A g
flock is high merino grade ewes
on. breeding and long wooded rams. 1
gives good large lambs at ten or TIVE
e Weeks of age and good wool for mari
The present is not good time 10 g
- mence a flock, as fock-masters are
VI cited and prices exaggerated,