Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-10-26
WHAT MAY BE DONE ON A POOR FARM.
H. w. Grady in Atlanta Constitution

| H. w. Grady in Atlanta Constitution.
| suppose there are a few readers Of the
| Constitution who do not remember Parish Fur.
| man.
He was bright and brainy senator in 1876,
and-.led the capitol campaign against Allan
t;l-was mentioned for Congressman l al
always esteemed him as one of the best
equipped and most capable of our young pol.
| iticians. A few years ago he quit politics and
went to farming. l heard that he had settled
on thin piece of land with poor prospects,
and in common with many of his friends,
thought he had dropped out of affairs.
At the last agricultural convention he cleo
trifed the old farmers of the State with the
details of the most astounding five years
farming ever done in Southern State, and is
to-day more talked about in the State than if
he had served in Congress twenty years.
have heard the record Of his wonderful
work several times within the past few months,
and the comment with. which it is usually
greeted is, 'I don't believe it, | simply say
that have the authority of at least three ex-
ing main points:
Furman started work with .sixty-fye acres
of the very poorest land in middle Georgia
five years ago. The first year he made eight
bales of cotton on the sixty-tive acres, or less
than one bale to eight acres. This shows that
it was the poorest of scrub land.
The second year he put 500 pounds of COM
post to the acre, and made twelve bales OF cot
ton where he made eight before.
The third year he used 900 pounds OF COM
post to the acre, increased the yield on the
sixty-tive acres to twenty-three bales.
The fourth year he used 1000 pounds OF
compost to the acre, and increased his crop
TO forty-seven bales on sixty-tive acres.
The fifth year he used 1000 pounds OF com
post to the acre, and his crop is certainly
above eighty bales to the sixty-five acres, and
may reach 100 bales.
He has done all this work with two ploWs
and eighteen days extra plowing. His official
and detailed statement shows that the total
expenses were S., 800, and his net profit -, 10,
a fine record on a two-horse farm. In addl-
tion the land that was worth 50 an acre flVe
years ago, is now worth 500 an acre. SO with
two mules this year he has raised at least
eighty bales of cotton, 1000 bushels OF oats
aud 400 bushels of corn.
Isn't that a better record than he could
have made in Congress2 Hasn't he done the
State more good by this demonstration than
he could by ten years of political speeches
WHAT MIR. FURMAN SAYS ABOUT 1T.
1 had talk with Furman to-day. He is
the very picture of health, prosperity and in
telligent enthusiasm. With perfectly indie
pendent income, and the secret of a better
one in his hand, he is truly happy man. lie
said to me:
"When I determined to 60 to farming, five
years ago, saw that it would not do to farm
in the old way l saw farmers getting poorer
every day, though they worked like slaves l
saw them starving their lands so that each
year their yield was scantier, and their farms
less valuable. l saw that it was still the plOW
following the ak, and that as fast us farmer
starved one piece of land he cleared out new
piece With 100000 immigrants pouring into
this country annually, and the public domain
virtually pre-emptied, l realized that TINS
wasteful system must stop some where ana
soon. Worse than all, 1 saw that my own
land rented to small farmers
WAS 25 PER CENT. POORER AND LESS VAL
UABLE.
than it was few years ago, and that 1t would
soon cease to pay me rent. knew that Geor.
gia was blessed with the best conditions OF
season and soil, and that fproperly treated
it would yield large results
ssI therefore selected sixty-fve acres of the
poorest land I had and went to work. Inc
first thing, of course, was to enrich the SOIL.
To do this there was but one way to feed 1t,
and to give it more food than the crops took
from it, and above all to give it the proper
food. l knew that certain phosphate mlnures
stimulated the soil so that it produced heavy
crops for while and then fell off. wanted
none of this. did not believe in soil analysis.
That was not exact enough.
TESTING THE APPETITE OF THE EARTH.
"What wanted was to know exactly what
a perfect cotton plant took from the soil:
That ascertained, then to restore to the soil
exactly those elements in larger quantity than
the crop had distracted them. This IS the
basis of intensive farming, and it will always
give land that is richer year after year. l hiid
a cotton plant analysed, and found that | need
ed eight elements in my manure, OF which
commercial fertilizers furnished only three and
the soil only One / therefore determined 10
buy chemicals and mix them with humus,
muck, decayed leaves, stable manure and cot
ton seed till l had secured exactly what was
needed. / did so, and at last produced per
feet compost for cotton. l then ascertained
that my crop of eight bales had taken out CT
each acre of my land as much of the constlt-
uents of cotton as was held in $50 pounds Of
my compost l therefore put 500 pounds OF
compost on each acre, restoring double what
the crop of the year before had taken out.
The result was that made four bales extra.
I then restored double what the twelve bales
had taken out and made twenty-three bales.
| doubled the restoration next year and got
forty seven bales. doubled again, and this
year have at least eighty bales"
ssBut does this extra manuring pay?'
Immensely Here are my fgures-2,OOO
hounds of my compost cost S7.25 or S3.6O
thousand pounds. The first year | put 800
pounds to the acre-cost Sl.oo an acre, or
Sill for sixty-fve acres. But my crop rose
from eight to twelve bales, the extra four
bales giving me 5000 surplus, or SS3 net on
my manure Next year my manure Q,OOO
pounds to acre) cost S235 but my crop in
creased to twenty-three bales from eight on
unmanured land. These extra bales gave me
$3.50 or net profit on manure of s.. Ii. The
next year used 1000 pounds per acre at cost
of S7.25 an acre. or SAIL for total. But my
crop went from eight to forty-seven bales,
giving increased income of 81 $50, or net over
cost of manure of about 81 800. This year
used 600 pounds to acre costing Sl4.5O, or
S942 for total manure. But my crop is at
least eighty bales with this manure where it
was eight without. This increase of seventy
two bales is worth $1,000. Deduct cost OF
manure S940 and we have S2,65O as the profit
on use of manure"
"And then the land is so much richer"
sCertainly. 1t is worth 500 an acre, where
it was formerly worth s.. You must credit
the manure with this.'
AN AVERAGE OF THREE BALES TO THE ACRE.
"Where will you stop in this progression -
~ don't know. l shall double my man
uring next year, putting 5000 pounds TO the
acre | believe will get $50 bales from the
G5 acres. I hope to push it up to three bales
an acre. have few acres on which put
10, 900 pounds of compost as an experiment.,
and every acre of it, will give me three bales
this year."