The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-01-03
AGRICULTURE THE SOL TIL.

IN Gn0 SOuGn ana NOFGn, Gl6G the Oil
ference of climate necessitates differ
ent system of management of the land,
and culture of crops. No doubt this is
true to some extent, but it should be
remembered that principles are applic-
able everywhere, and practice only is
changed in conformity with principles.
And wherever the conditions of climate
or soil vary sufficiently to modify fun
damental principles, there only can the
practice differ to any noteworthy ex-
tent. There are such differences exist
ing between the North and South that
do make necessary a somewhat differ
en5 practice, but still the practice must
be based on some known principle or
it is wrong. What are these differences.
and in what respect do they call for
diversions from northern practice?
Southern agriculture is not in a salts
factory condition. Everywhere are
complaints of it's unprOfi5ableness, and
statistics show that these are we'll
founded, while experience proves that
the figures are correct. At the same
time the complaints are not made by
all alike, and only by some of the farm
ers, although the complaints make up
by far the large majority. Yet that
some are satisfied with the profits of
their business, goes to show that it is
not so much in the nature of Southern
agriculture that the fault lies, but in
the practice commonly known as the
Southern system" This consists of
the growth of one main crop, with a
secondary one, and the almost general
exclusion of others, and also with the
abandonment of thousands of fields to
idleness, for the purpose of leaving
them to a slow natural process of re
COvery from exhaustion. Cotton and
tobacco are the two staple crops. and
the old fields seen on every hand rep
resent the second element of the pre-
vailing system.
The general condition of the cotton
trade shows that this crop is usually
grown to an excess that destroys it's
value, and makes it ruinOusly unprOfit
able, That this fact is leading numer
GUS farmers to plant Tobacco as a
remedy, knowing we'll that the supply
of this PRODUCE has been for years in
excess of the demand, shows that the
system is inherently weak and vicious
And the distress is increased and in
tensified by the fact that the Southern
farmers are buying their bread and
meat from the West instead of pro-
ducing it themselves Not only this,
but the hay and corn for their working
stock and many other necessaries are
thus purchased, and as the money is
not in hand TO pay for these supplies,
debts, with all the disagreeable results
are heaped up by the farmers
Now, one of the first principles of
agriculture is that all domestic supplies
should be the first product of the farm.
Another is that special crops, without
any regular and restorative rotation,
are exhaustive of the land and an in
cubus on industry A third is that
land lying idle is wasting and waste
of the farmers resources. These three
fundamental principles of good farm
ing are ignored generally by Southern
farmers, and by those who complain
that theiC work is Improbable, while
others who practice different system
are abundantly satisfied. 1t is easily
seen that these three principles are in
vOlved in each other; that if one we're
practiced it would completely satisfy
the others. The result is, that if South
ern farmers would produce their own
supplies, rearing the cattle, sheep and
swine for their meats, give some atten
tion to the dairy, grow their wheat,
hay, clover, grass, corn and fodder,
and rear their own working stO TX,
there would be less cotton and tobacco
prOduced-therew would be no old fields
wasting in the heavy rains and the
burning suns, no debts, and satlstac-
tOrV price for the valuable money
CROPS which the whole world needs and
must have, at whatever price is eX
acted for them. Thus, instead of the
South being poor and in debt, and un-
i+S NbIjOntIrnS there
would be wealth and happiness.
It is a principle of nature that If one
of it's laws is violated misery is the
penalty. The fittest only survive-that
is, those who study and meet fully all
the necessities of the case in which
they are placed. Thus nothing else
can be expected but Improbable work
when it is not performed In accord
with those laws that control 1T And
the only remedy is to chance the sys-
tenn that makes agriculture UnProtl5-
able for another that will meet all the
exigencies of the Southern farmer
There are as many old fields IN the
South as would produce everything the
farmers are now buying. Culture Is
all that is required to bring them INTO
profit. They are exhausted only OF
the elements of fertility taken from
them to grow the repeated crops OF
cotton or tobacco which they nave
yielded in years past. And as the sur
face only has been worked hitherto,
the underlying soil waits only for the
ploW to penetrate the lower subsou to
make it productive. The available
nitrogen has gone, but the mineral ele
ments remain, and clover will thrive
in these soils and quickly restore the
nitrogen again. The Southern soil Is
far more fertile naturally than that of
the North. 1t is derived from the
underlying rocks, the GRANTEES, states
and imestones that make the most
fertile land in the world, and these are
rich in the potash and other needed
mineral Miami food Eunruwhara the