The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-10
Various Farm Topics.
HOG RAISING IN GEORGIA.

JuSb SUPPOSE, IL every ldTIleT, WulU6 ana
black, in the state of Georgia were pro-
vided with and maintained properly two
good breeding sows of select native stock,
and every ten adjoining farmers between
them owned good Berkshire or Jersey
boari The bare suppostion is pleasant to
ponder over This is not bad apportionment
lis itD-two breeding sows to every pillow.
1t might be urged that If there were one
i good breeding sow to every plow in the
state, and If they were well managed, we
would soon see marked improvement in
agricultural matters. This may be true,
but let us hold to the first suppositlon, and
provoke discussion, if possible, among the
readers of this page. Can the farmers of
Georgia raise all the bacon that they stand
in need of yearlya If they cannot, hat is
the reason? If they can, and do not, what
Is the reason? On page So, February 1875,
Southern C1tttiudtor, we propounded the
same question that we do now: Shall we
raise hogsp
Fourteen years have come and gone since
we first asked the question, and the status
CT Georgia farming of to-day justlfeS its
repetition in the same spirit that it was put
then. Right here, let the farmer readers of
this column constitute themselves club for
the discussion of this question. For the en-
couragement of others, let those who have
succeeded in raising their bacon proftably
state when they began to raise their own
supplies, how many were kept and raised,
the various difficulties met and overcome.
Give your experience as briefly as possibly
as you may choose, but give us the facts
aud do not look upon doing so as tax, but
regard it as pleasure; and let those who
have failed give their experiences, and pro-
pound such questions as they may see fit,
and some may be encouraged to make new
and heartier effort to break from the thrall-
dom of the western merchant. Let US dis
cuss the advantages of the intensive system
of hog raising, when every farmer with one,
two or at most three, good sows will raise
for himself and dependents beautiful sup
ply of sweet, healthy bacon, nicely cured
shoulders and hams, nicely picked pork.
the sweetest and purest of lard, to say moth
ing of the abundance of pigs feet picked,
the souse and sausage and tongues, and the
barbecued pigs from time to time during
the year, and the satisfaction too of know
ing that your meat was pure and untainted.
Let us find out the very best way to man.
age two or three sows to get the most
profit from them; how to feed them to the
best advantage, the best sheltering for
them, protection from vermin and disease,
and the best all the year round pasture,
how little corn we can get along with, and
the providing of pure water u1der vary
ing conditions Among our readers who
for the time.
SIDE CROPS.
STANDARD" farming in Georgia consists
in attention more or Less to the following
crops. First, cotton; second, corn; third,
oats. All other plants may very properly
be designated as "sid5n crop plants. In few
instances are any other than the three
mentioned made the main stay" Diversi-
fled farming signifies resort to number
| - @Ioo Eol1
choosing one and some another, according as
the land may be better adapted to this
growth, or as the accessibility of a good
market for crops of perishable nature
may control the matter: Sugar cane
CUBA or sorghum, sweet potatoes, field
peas Tor beans, properly speaking), hay,
upland rice, tobacco, ground peas, wheat
rye and melons. This list may still further
be enlarged by naming cabbages, tomatoes
and irish potatoes, green corn, and even
turnlps and onions may be utilized, in a
special way, as side crops by the standard"
small farmer, who is not a market gar
dener These vegetables are usually grown
for market by those who are not engaged in
standard" farming, aud they incluGe
every kind that is found to be profitable.
But there are occasions when the small
farmer can very profitably adopt one
the ether of them as side crop. For in
stance, when one has land naturally
adapted to its most successful growth, or
has superior knowledge as to the culture OF
that particular plant
Then there is poultry keeping, a universal
side crop. but rarely utilized to its full ca
pabilitY of profit. There Is pork raising
and bee keeping, and there is also legiu
mate infringement upon the dalryman's
business for another side crop-to wit: the
keeping of one, two or three cows. All OF
these can be made side crops of decided
value under good management Of course
the standard farmer gives some attention to
sweet potatoes, hay and peas. now and then
ground pea and a sugar cane patch,
few hens, pig or two, and perhaps COW,
but none of them as a general thing is
made to produce any appreciate cash. it
is very well enough to grow just enough OF
these various articles to supply dome site
needs where there is no good market for any
supplies, but there are other crops besides
cotton, corn and oats that may be con-
verted into money crops with little man
agement. tt'ob sroo 3al
AN ACRE OF WHEAT
Under high culture may an acre of wheat
he made to stand for something on the
small farm When the expression, can
acre of wheat" signifies sixty bushels, it is
quite different thing from what it is when
1t signifies only ten bushels. There are
thousands of southern farmers who would
sow wheat extensively if they could be as
sured of saving ten bushels Of sound grain
per acre, and they are not to be blamed for
being satisfied with such yield when we
consider the quality of the land they de-
vote to wheat, the nature of the preparation
and the manuring of it. Getting an average
of ten bushels per acre from a large area,
after the old extensive plan Of blowing IN
three pecks Of seed in December, and using
but little. if any, manure, was doing very
well for land that was valued at Only S.
per acre. The only difficulty was that 1T