The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-01-04

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Prof, W. I. Massey, OF tho North
Carolina experiment station, has some
interesting things to say in reference to
acknowledgement out land. Instead OF
rushing into the raising OF pecnns by
tho hundreds OF bushels as many farm
ers i'll tho South arc now doing, thus
making a glut of the pecan market in
oyitable, he says the southern farmer
ought to try to redeem his old land and
on 1t raise those crops that moro sue
ccssfully grow in the South than else
where. He says further: 1t is not
cotton culture that has hurt the cotton
planter, or tobacco culture that has in
lured tho tobacco planter. The whole
trouble is that they are merely planters
and not farmers. Until our southern
farmers cease to look upon the land MS
merely place to plant in and sow
fertilizers upon, they will always have
these constantly recurring seasons OF
trouble when the cotton fails to pay.
No section can prosper permanently, in
the long run, from tho exclusive cul-
turc OF special crop. No matter what
tho crop is, the continual culture OF one
crop i'll great areas leads to poverty and
"old fields" The southern farmer is
not the only man guilty OF this, though
he drifted more naturally into it under
the influence OF the ""patriarchal insti-
tuition, for the bonanza wheat farmers
OF tho northwest are on the same road
The fertile soil may stand it longer, but
the constant culture OF wheat will en-
haust land as fast as or faster than that
OF cotton, and worn out land in Dakota
is worse than worn out land in the
south because of climatic restrictions.
Tho wonderful rapidity and low cost
at which our WORKOUT land can be
brought to great productiveness is o
constant surprise. No better illustra-
ton can be found than the lands at
tached to the North Carolina, Agricul-.
tural Experiment station. Only q Jew
years ago this was a bare hilltop in an
old field, and VIGOROUSLY. the most
poverty-stricken spot OF land in the
county. 1t might perhaps have made,
in. a good season, five bushels OF corn
per acre, but probably less. And yet
we have on this povcrty-stricken hill to-
day variety and luxuriancc OF growth
which is surprising to those who have
known the land. And 1t has not been
vishexpenditure ofthe station funds
that it has been brought up, but merely
by the aid OF these potent factors in
soil improvements the South, cowpeas
and crimson clover, and ut no greater
cost than any farmer can afford. We
have one piece OF land, several acres in
extent, which has grown q crop OF en-
sllase corn every year for four years.
The first crop was miserably poor one,
and each succeeding one better, while
this years crop would have made forty
or fifty bushels OF corn to tho aero had
it been cured for grain. The agent in
thiswas crimson clover, aided by deep
plowing OF the red, claycy soil. Each
season, us the corn is cut OIL, seed OF
crimson clover is sowr on the land. BY
April it is knee high and is turned
under later, when fully mature, and
corn is planted. II. the short space OF
tour years this barren hilltop has come
to rival the rich bottom lands at cost
OF 81 so per acre for clover seed. And
yet all around US are fields OF cotton
which stand all winter with rows OF
brown stalks and the bare ground wash
ing all winter, and the owners longing
for some crop that pays better than cot.
ton.
This corn experience is not offered rs
a specimen Of good farming, but merely
to illustrate the ease with which these
worn, rcd, claycy hills can be restored.
With the Southern cowpea in summer
and crimson clover in winter, and a fair
rotation of corn, wheat and cotton with
them, and stock enough to consume tho
abundant food supply and make man
urc, tho Southern farmer should be-
come independent OF expensive man
ures and the cotton factor, and not need
to rush into doubtful specialties.
Stables, barns and NIL shelters for
stock should have as mucl, winter sun.
light as it is practicable to secure. Not
being carpeted and curtained there is
no excuse for excluding the life-giving
rays, rs is done in too many dwellings