The Progress., 1892-05-07
Doubts Il and Wants Fr0cf.

, 10 Inc IfoGlc>>:
in the last issue Of your valua-
be paper. / read with consider
able interest an article under
heading. A Convincing Chat
With Practical Farmer telling
how We could raise corn in LOuisi-
ana at ten cents per bUshel, and
pork at one half cent per pound.
You were sincere in al you said,
for ! know il you have one virtue
which predominates over any one
of the many you possess, it IS can
dor and sincerity. therefore you
are not at fault in bat one respect,
and that is in being led astray by
the extravaganza theories of your
friend, who seems to deal more in
imagination than il actual practi
cal experience; hence l desire to
direct your mind into the channel
Of reason. In the first place we
will take up corn producing, and
see what it takes to produce a
bushel of corn on the hill lands in
Louisiana. The river planters can
not raise corn so cheaply as the
hill men, their rich soil being bet
ter adaptedoto raising cotton, from
which they can realize more than
by devoting it to corn raising. Wei
first select good average hill
farm and place the rental at 81 per
acre. Should we fertilize, to make
a trial for the best results. this will |
cost 50 per acre, labor to put in or
der and planting 50: it will re-
quire to cultivate this acre-labor
SO, use Of mule and feeding II, to
gather and house -. making a to-
tai Of SD. We produce on this
acre so bushels of corn. This. as
you see, brings the cost of produc-
ing to 26 cents per bushel. If You
claim that our figures are extrava-
giant, to produce the amount
named per acre by one half land 1
dare say most any farmer of prac-
teal experience will not agree with
YOU, you will find that it still ex-
ceeds the figure you name.
Now we will try and find out by
what unheard of method pork can
De raised at J cent per pound. 1t
requires, by the experience of the
most practical farmers of the
Northern and Western States.
rom 10 to Is bushels of corn to
produce a 200 pound porker;
should he be swilled and have
plenty of grass, 10 bushels will be
sufficient. but fed in the ordinary
way it will take all of Is bushels
If corn to take him from a wean-
ing and make 200 pounds of good
,ork out of him. We have already
ound that it costs 26 cents to pro
luce bushel of corn on Louisi-
ma hill land; Is bushels will then
make our porker cost us $3.50, or
n fraction of 81; hence we can
afely say that it will cost us at
east 2 cents per pound. 4 hog
oses One-tifth, or very near it,
Which will be 40 pounds. At 2
ents pound this is so cents.
making $40 net, which comes
cry near q cents per pound by
he time he is landed in our smoke
louse. Should one live near tim
'er, where acorns are plenty, he
an make it cost him less, but such 3
'ork is never desirable-nothing
o compare to corn-fed. Your
PRACTICAL farmer may be situated
bus, and his hogs may prey upon
is neighbors' corntields, where {
encing is poor, as he must give
lis b ogs all the advantages posi-
lie IN order to be safe in making
his extraordinary statement.
1 have hurriedly gone over this Z
natter, and have no desire to dis
ourage any farmer in Louisiana
d any way, but deem it best to 6
t all times give to the planter and
armer that which he can see rea-
on and judgment in.
l shall now ask Practical
'armer" to give us his figures by ]
hitch he can produce such extra
rdioary results. If / am wrong,
nd he is right, then he will in
eed have proven himself a bene-
actor to one of the noblest call >,
lgs on earth, the tillers of the
oil. REASON.
l.