St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-04-14
FARMER AND PLANTER
LIVING ON POOR LAND.

LIVING ON POOR LAND.
a. Absorbi.g Qssstie. .. the Daily LIZ,
| Of Many Farmers-
With large number Of farmers the
absorbing question is, how on q poor
run down farm, without capital, 70 gei
enough supplies to last through the
year,and the little money absolutely
necessary. This question is often Flip
PANTY answered by the advice to move
70 better farm. rs tenant. or to go
west, etc, but this is generally imprae.
tica bic. rs in most cases the farmer ID
too poor to change. and he and his fam
lily are neither able nor willing to dc
the large amount Of rough work which
such move would necessitatc. He
sides a foothoid or home of yoas own,
with all its accompanimcnts of old
friends. local attachments and fixed
ha bits, is gift OF God not to he light
~ abandoned.
Having to face such conditions. the
first thought should be economy; not
seeing how the family and animals
could be fed on the provcrbial one
straw day of which the old horse
died. but the management of the land
in such way that the greatest net in
come could be produced from it with
out injuring it.
If any farmer who feels hopeless of
his ability to support his family will
sit down and figure up the supplies alb
solutely necessary. he will be surprised
at how small part Of the products Of
the poorest farm it takes.
My experience has been that the
largest waste on the average farm is
from unproductive stock. ] mean the
keeping of two or more poor, ill-fed an
finals when one good one would answer
better. DO not sell what You have and
buy fancy stock. but keep the best you
have, and feed and care for them bet
ter. even il this reduces You. to one
horse. one cow, and even one hog
put this waste first because it actually
wastes something in hand, viz: crops
already secured.
The most important waste comes in
trying to work too much land. This
means ill preparation and i'll cultiva-
ton, the working Of poor land which
might be left to rest and recuperate,
the taking Of what little profit might
be made on the better parts Of the land
to pay the poorer, having to provide
pay. board and la Dor for which you not
only receive no reward. but draw on
yourself vexation and loss, the forcing
of your dearly-bought crop on a glut-
ted market. with the laborers waiting
ut your door for all the money received.
Farmers are prone todenounce specu-
lators. All men are Spectators who
by hired labor produce more OF any
article than they need for their own
use. What shall we say of the
Spectator who speculates with |
not only the probabilities. but
The certainties against him, as
any man does who attempts to |
make staple crops for sale from poor
land. and with hired labor. And Just |
how many men. knowing this, plunge |
from the frying-pan into the Ere, BY
buying manipulated commercial fer
filizers- From an experience dating
back to the conclusion Of the war, Is ! |
market gardner. farmer and travelling |
salesman of agricultural implements,
can say that as rule. it does not nav
10 use for staple crops manipulated
fertilizers on land originally poor,
either for the crop to-whish it is ap-s
,lied, or for the future benefit of the
and. do not mean to dccry the use
# ceWmsrcisl:s:: fertilizers. for special
'gaPs. or for giving. tobacco . good
tart or for getting ! stand of clover,
ut for .M4 1Sf~ Two; St is neces-
ave .ses1 J4iinxaty::psS or:: / 1"o a1so
hink that there IS no waxso cheap or
e. 'S 'Iess;i |a89 1,s s. Sss
nut this is like saving that the best
ray to improve Poor lab4.is to buy
God. for less THAI 400 p8Ms. Of bone
nd 200 pounds of KANT has no ap-
reclable effest'on :. No. Elad, and less
han 100 pounds Of each has no very
,arked effect. ,AnQtker waste is try
nc to do more than Your own labor.
,6nfy Oh conM 1HHaa M Aha supplies on
and ~fR als0you to do at the proper
inc; and inc:the proper way. And
'st, but not least, the making of a
cbt Of any kind is to be avoided.
ZEN lon cool farms may sometimes he
ght in anticipating future income
ON their property, but on a poor
lrm this is never justifiablc.-Cor.
ONE and Farm.