The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1893-11-16

Vdncement. 10 such the farm cannot
hold out inducements sufficient. Other
helds are more inviting and offer better
pay, and one cannot expect him to fore
go favorable opportunity or sacrifice
his interest to mere sentiment. Life
work is too real, and we deal with issues
too vital to be trified with, and each one
should select the work for which he is
best lifted. But in selecting our bust.
ness, not only our fitness, but our indi-
vldual fancies and prejudices should be
considered, and in every avocation there
is one essential without which we can
rarely hope to climb high on the ladder
to success-that is, we must love our
work to be willing to devote our time,
our energies and such talent as we pos
sess to its advancement.
Having chosen our work we must not
only love it, but hold to it in shadow as
well as sunshine, in Encouragement as
well as when it goes right. AS farmers
we must allow no opportunity for gain
ing information, for improving our
methods, to escape, and once we dis
cover that we are on the wrong track
call a halt, consider the situation, and
having decided on different line of &C
ton, follow it to the finish. Heretofore
defeat has made us desperate, and in
the vain hope of lettering our condition
we have plunged deeper into methods,
which, upon reflection and in our calmer
moments, we willingly admit are false
IN promises and unattainable in accom-
plishment. We have been working for
immediate results without considering
the injury to our lands or our. ability to
execute the plans, which we have but
partially matured. Recognizing our
mistake the only sound policy is to
CHANGE OUR PLAN
for the future. Permit me to emphasize
some of the mistakes and to reiterate
the warming, which have SO often ut
tered. The first and most grievous, the
one which has caused us the greatest
number of disappointments as we'll as
changed the character of our soils is
planting the same land year after year
in the same clean-hoed and cultivated
crops, without rest or change. On this
subject quote the following from the
American Agricultural, showing how
universal the practice and how impor-
tant to apply the remedy:
1.-The farmer who owns his farm is
concerned quite has much for its future
as for its present productiveness. He
cannot afford, even under pressure of
seeming necessity, to sell the fertility of
his land by the bushel. until its decreas-
ing productiveness makes longer cultiva-
ton impossible. Thousands have gone
this road, and have only found their
mistake when too late to retract their
steps.
However important immediate re-
suits may seem, the careful farmer looks
to next year and the year after. Ittakes
exceptional crops to make the farmer in
different to the future of his soil. But
the true economy consists in combining
both immediate and future benefit by
applying manures chiefly to clover and
other crops which themselves add to
soil fertility, and thus make it serve
both ends. 1t is here that grain farmers
have an advantage over those who grow
hoed crops exclusively. The farmer who
grows grain can and should always SOW
clover with it. Then all the manure he
applies to the grain crop serves a double
purpose. The hoed crop may make the
most money per acre, but, if it is grown
| year after year, it demands the yearly
| purchase of q large amount of manure.
| That will take off the profits. The
alienation Of grain seeded with clover,
/ and then after one or two years growth
the clover p!owed under as green ma
nure for some hoed crop, secures both
the immediate profit and the permanent
benefit to the soil which every good
| farmer seeks"
In the more southern ATTITUDES peas or
rye take the place of the clover.
A second error is the yearly purchase
of large amounts of commercial fertili-
ger, stock and provisions, partly on time,
in the hope OF a few extra bales, forget
ting that when the additional labor and
| various other extra items are calculated
the expense account is largely increased,
and when the crops are gathered the adj
ditional results are sadly disproportion-
| ate.
The third mistake is included in the
others-that is, the hazardous expert
ment of planting a short provision crop
and trusting to our merchant; or ''luck, !"
to keep us out. On farm where plenty
of provisions are planted there is always
ample opportunity for rotation and
renovation" and where the farmer raises
his own meat and possibly his stock, the
harmony of agricultural relations is adj
{ justed and maintained year after year,
and the land, instead of retrograding, is
being constantly improved.
We have
J EXPLODED THE OLD IDEA
| that debts can be paid or money made
on borrowed capital when cotton brings
only or S cents. In looking at this
question from business as we'll as an
agricultural standpoint, we cannot
afford to ignore some unpleasant truths.
The crop producing capacity of our
cultivated lands has alarmingly de-
creased; the facilities for reaching newer
and more productive lands have so
I greatly increased as to draw off large
part Of our best farming population;
these two conditions, combined with
our unfortunate financial status and the
low prices prevailing for our principal
farm products have caused a general
agricultural depression, and we south
ern farmers will be compelled to SO
arrange the acreage, character and gen.
eral direction of our crops as to enable
us to run our farms without mourning
additional Indebtedness. Many are seri-
ously cramped now, and with the de-
cline in land production and in prices
their affairs are Incoming more and