The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-18
More Stock On Southern Farms.

the letter or arJlcle, not necessarily lOr pup
LEGATION, but as an evidence of good faith.
More Stock On Southern Farms.
Mr.. j. S. Newman of Auburn, Ala,
writes as follows to the Southern Cultiud-
tor. and what he says is worthy of most
serious consideration on the part of farm
ers: The business of the farmer demands q
knowledge of the laws of nature so far as
thew relate to phenomena connected with
the soil. plants, animals, insects and me-
teorology. Witha knowledge of these laws
he can conduct all his operations in con-
formity with them and thus attain success.
All violations of these laws must cause dis
comfture. No wise lawgiver ever enacts a
law without affixing penalty, and surely
the author of the laws governing the ma
tsrial universe was too wise to omit SO
necessary an appendage or consequence Of
violation.
The end of all agricultural production is
animal consumption either as food or food
clothing for animals, man included The
factory which converts cotton into yarns as
its finished product leaves the profit of con-
vertlng these into cloth to another factory.
Let us then regard all of our domestic ami
mails as machines for the conversion of
cheap vegetable matter into more valuable
animal products, such AS wool, beef, NUT
ton, pork, milk, eggs, poultry, or in the
cases of horses and mules-work. In
this view the more vegetable substances
utilized by these animal factories the greater
the dividends declared to the owners of the
factories.
The farmers first business is with the
soil, the great storehouse of energy derived
from the sun. He must study the charac-
ter and needs of his soil with reference to
both its physical condition and chemical
constituents. He must see that the latter
are present in character and quantity to
supply the demands of plants and the for
mer is such that the roots Of the plant may
readily penetrate and gather the food nee
essary for building up its organism. In
the order OF creation the earth was clothed
with vegetation before animal life was pos
sible The same is true today, and more
plants alone can organize the matters of
dead earth and air into life. The farmer,
therefore, must learn the laws of plant
growth and nutrition aud the conditions
which contribute most effectively to the
fuhllment of the destiny to which man
has devoted it. This involves skillful
manipulation of the soil physically and
chemically with special reference to ena-
bling the plant to appropriate the mate
rial needed to its own advantage. Since
plants take all their food either in solution
in waters as the vehicle or as gases. me-
theological conditions are of prime inn
poltance. How then, shall we regard the
plants! Certainly as factory in which the
crude material of soil is converted into more
valuable vegetable products capable of be-
ing utilized by man and beast.
The conditions necessary for the success
full operation of this factory being supplied
it becomes self propelling-the physical,
chemical and vital forces cooperating to
carry it forward to the fulfillment of its
destiny. The destiny being fulfilled, we
have the raw material for supplying me-
chanical factories If fibre is the finished
product to which the plant is devoted-ani-
NAL factories if a food product results.
The soil, then, aud air furnish the raw
material for the plant and plants the raw
material for the animal factory, while the
latter is devoted to supplying the master
piece of Gods creation-man. The farm
is incomplete without this last, and, when
properly handled, most probably finishing
machine This becomes especially appar-
ent when we consider the fact that a by
product of this animal factory-the ma
nure-contributes in such important de
gree to the reproduction Of its own raw
material
Let us take the sheep, for instance, to
Illustrate this point. Grass organizes the
substances Of soil and air into food for the
sheep, or, if used as hay, into an article of
commerce. If converted into hay for mar
ket, costly labor must be expended in
havesting, housing, baling and drawing
to market. If utilized directly by the
sheep we have nofurther expense connected
with it, but it is manufactured into wool
and mutton by the animal which demands
nothing at our hands except an occasional
ration Of salt. II converted into hay for
market, whoever purchases the hay must
pay the grower, not only the cost of grow
ing but that of harvesting aud marketing,
and if the consumer lives at a distance from
the hay field he must pay the cost Of trans
portation and the merchants profit be-
sldes. Now if he can afford to pay
these charges in addition to the cost OF
growing the hay, and yet makes a profit
oy feeding it, surely he who utilities the
quiet sheep to manufacture his hay in his
helds should realize much more, since the
manure, being returned to the soil, is only
robbed of the plant-food sold in wool or
4 mutton.
Our people do not seem to appreciate the
tact that the conversion of all available
material derived from the soil into the
more valuable aud compact animal pro
ducts without the intervention Of 80 much
costly human labor constitutes most i'm
portant factor in determining the question
OF success for failure. They do not sutli
GENTLY appreciate the fact that nearly all
Sr the nitrogen Of the food consumed by q
grown animal and all the phosphoric acid
and potash contained in the food are
excreted in the solid and liquid manure
One Of the most culpable wastes of which
any people were ever guilty is that of ap-
plying cotton seed and cotton seed meal as