The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-11-15
TO FARMINPRov5
MENTS.

Ten out of every twelve commuri.
tions | get on the subject of crime.
clover, mention the planting of a sms
patch of about an acre. which =
illustrate the unsystematic habits M
are the curse of our Southern agric
ture. Instead of a field of the rpgna
size which is planted with cotton
corn, a patch of clover, or peas. ish
much the rule. Great areas of Ian
are plowed for cotton, that has bpeDi
cotton, year after year, f~orgenpratim
until it Is a mere matter of chance
the season whether the little dose
commercial fertilizer used upon !; vi
paw in the crop.
Knowing well that peas, and usual
clover, will do we'll upon their Land
they cannot see that they can sQuea
as much money at once out of a fd
in peas, they prefer to rest somta
their land, as they call it. by letting
big crop of weeds grow on 1t, and p
in a little patch of peas or clover
when the whole field would be Resin
more %effectually in peas. And then
after growing a crop of peas, an
gathering, instead of sowing he Wild
crop the next season on a whole field
the immediate return they can get, b
selling the greater portion, turns tb
scale, and a little patch is pianta
again, while they spend more none
for purchased nitrogen than the pea
brought, which would have glvpnthe
ten fold more if they had been SOW
upon the land.
The great trouble is so few Of %
farmers have any faith in their bus
ness, or care to invest a cent bey01
the point where they can see an INN
date prospect for something to So
They are wonderfully economical
the Spite while their ultimate lntere9
are flowing away from the bung no
But a continual pressing Of these ns
ters upon their attention at taTma
institutes is having some ettecE ~
a leading farmer In our 0tate t0I
lately: "You have gotten the tarna'
in my county crazy on peas. NeOsS
usually shipped from our station eya!
spring, several car loads OF peas '
Louisiana, but this year none "a'
sent away, audit was hard to Guy y!
because our farmers have Colcilt2-
that if they were worth enough ~.
Louisiana people to buy and ireIsls
far. they must be worth more 10 -
on our land than the price we ge' -
them and the result is that there ~
twenty acres peas this year, "n7''D
was planted last year"
The enlightened farmers will ni" T.
go back to the old practice; IIS d
Creased culture may give them Luz
to sell than before, but they wiz t,bsf
them over broader areas anu Tbs
land and stock will be the gamer ~ an5
no fence law which, theoreti:an! i al
in most places, is a good tnInE'I i'm
serious drawback to agriculture I
provement in this cotton C1b \
People will admit that they usmor
grow more f )rage crops, ana Be. = neces
stock. but this would involve InSn tbss
sity for some fencing, ana. Ta,+ ~ ZOO
build fences, they are Willie " e %
in the old ruts. While tnsIo orticr
doubt that in many sections, ITpig TOO
larlv in the North, there IS emu w. fences
much su J-division Of farms o ~ IS
the total abandonment oil rrsar prop
ia now common here, l5 a g,o[ If sys
to the one crop system or L@Ce q dreary
tenn, and gives the counsly re9t fields
aspect to one accustomed "D
and grazing herds. uoas been d5
So completely have teac'I that mar!
pensed with in the South ~ garden
farm houses nave no yard ao VI keep
fenced off. Such men, Of tT the mules
no stock whatever e5o ePPd buy buy every,
which work the cOtton', &nu when thor
thing else they Use; thew ought "
keep stock. and raise food tb Lct 20 on in
fencing settles it, and = t4sFf sNassey'
the same weary way"
~ C. E9perimFt Sta''0'