The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-09-01
Profitable Farming.

To the Editor of the Herald:
Ihave said that Texas farmers make no
effort to adapt their operations to the ses-
sons, and therefore fail TO succeed. l said, a
few weeks sgo, that one.third of all the corn
crop planted lsst spring in this c. untry had
made good thirty TO forty aero yield, and
that this good crop was not to be found in
any particular section, but stood promiscu.
ously over the country side by side with
crops that produced nothing, and as it
would have been Just as easy for every
farmer to have made rs good crop and ccrn
been abundant rs 10 have made a failure,
and that i, only required some attention to
adapting the culture of this crop 10 the sea-
sons There was want of thought, Of care
ind of effort, and that neglect has cost the
country two-thirds Of crop of corn, while
in other states the failure was due to the
seasons / repeat these things for two
reasons; first that by repetition
they may attract attention, and second, be-
cause tho season is now al hand 10 make
eanec roo, the only season in which il Can be
made successfully every year, and hope 10
arouse the farmers ~ a sense of that fact,
the fatal mistake Of last.
Last year there was an overwhelming crop
of cotton, and in the eagerness TO get il
picked all else was forgotten and neglected
No seed were sowD, no preparations for q
corn crop, hence tho failure of tWo-thirde of
the crop planted tbs year to make any thing.
True, few individuals who understand this
necessity of fall preparations for corn crop
and the inestimsble value of that crop, took
the precaution to prepare their corn lands
last fall, and ROW they can be easily distin-
guished from thor lnat.entiye neighbors by
their we'll stored granerie', their delicsion
sweet creamy milk, heir rich golden tinted
butter, their sleek horses and fat hogs, and
above all, their oontented, happy wives and
the bright faces and cheerful department
of Tho wife aud children. 1t IL
fine thing TO make cotton
because you can't eat itnor feed it and you
osu sell it and get back part or the money
YOU Law out for cuitivsting and packing it,
and The corn isn't worth cent, for you eat
IL no in some form, fork, lard, milk, butter,
cheese or poultry, OF feed IL to the noble
steeds that pillow the ground or draw the cart
or carriage and it is gone. But jokes aside,
corn ia the siaff of life TO \ man who hiss
a proper kuowledee of lite uses, of what he
should ca. and whore withsll no should
feed his beast. There ia nothing lks corn
and no crop so certain in Texas when proper
erly cultivated. II only requires little
thought Of the mind 10 prepare the land and
to plant.
If the farmer has any regard for sure
provision for much grain let him have sll
things ready to stsrt his pillow on the 1rst day
Z har nd has
the ground he intends to plsut 10 corn next
sorine all broken up--the deeper the better,
Int not less than eight inches, ten. twelve or
fifteen if possible II this is completed by
the frat day Of November, the winter
rains aud ros's will thoroughly pulls
verjze the soil and no drOuth or
excessive rain will prevent it making 8 hne
crop. A largo number Of the farmers of
mis- county understand this Snd attends to it,
hut others neglect it, and fail TO mako crops
They are not only Indifferent 10 their own
and the country's bet interest, but they are
cu,psbly negligent Of attention to this i'm
portanl matter which is calculated to sub,
serve more interests of the country and bet
ter interests of individuals than anything
known to agriculture.
The two thing, frat ia order and more adj
vantspeous to the farmer and the country
q Q corn and hay. If he has q good share
OF these. he is safe, and should he then neg
lect other important crops for the sake of cot
ten, he may be somewhat excussble. But
milk and butter are not only Indispensable,
bn, are real luxuries when they are of a e
quality. The, csnDot be OF fine quality un-
less the COWS are we'll kept and provided
with suitable pasturage or provender.. But
few persons have those elegant articles OF
diet, in this country, during the winter
when milk 10 most pslatabe. And, therefore
next to corr and hay every farmer should
have wheat pasture Ter bis cows. h "a
is nothing finer Tor producing milk and but
ter than green whea;, and it comes at time
when It Is most grateful to the animal sppe'
lite. But its virtues do not end here; few
acres will yield wheat enough, after being
psstured on all winter, to produce bran for
feeding I'll the succeeding winter, ard no
grain feed will compare with bran for milk
producing.
So now, when farmer has provided for q
corn crop and crop of grass for hay, and
has sown wheat pasture for his cows, / Q
has all the essential elements of good living,
but with sll this, he should SOW some ouls,
and Il co De really to work for Others in the
cotton Held, il mis- fancy runs that way. But
he had better not be go eager TO make for
tunes for others Ms to neglect the necessary
preparations for corn crop in the fall.