The Monticellonian., 1894-10-26

praise of tue field pea. Excellent for feed, both green and cared, its greatest worth to us k it's reno vating qualities. 1t is to the South what clover is to the North. It's the readiest means we have at our disposal at present, to re- store the wasted fertility to our worn and parchcd cotton lands.
 Then we have several Southern grasses which are well adapted to our climate and soil. Vial these 1 stock raising is placed beyond the pale ot disputed questions. We hail from one of the finest stock raising countries in the United States-MauIay County, middle Tennessee-the land of f1ne horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, III fact every thing in the stock fiHe, and after spending decade Of years in Drew County, we verify believe we can raise as fine horses, cattle, hogs or anything else, as they can That IS, if we would only utilize the means that nature has placed within olr reach. But we will bslve to abandon cotton, to large extent. We are aware, in the change of any business, there are disadvantages and uncertainties. as we asserted above. yet we can not see any excuse why the farm CTS should continue in their pre- sent methods of farming. By di- versityiug, ~e een rotate our crops, and keep up tho current ex pense of the farm and at the same time restore the wasted fertility of the soil This is one great adj vantage of d diversified crop. No doubt some one is ready to say there ia no luoney in stock; they arc too cheap. If some calamity should befall the cottcn crop. and cut down the estimate 1000, 900 or 3,000,o00 bales, it would ad- vance at once and so would stock. How about hogs? Blessed would you be if yoa had plenty of them, and produce enough on your farms to fatten them. Our motto is, to make our farm self-sustaining. and ifYou would allow Us to advise you. we would say if you need any mules or horses raise them. 1t matters not how cheap they are. Stock is essential on well reyu- lated and diversified tarm. You would be ata loss to know what to do with your products if you did not have stock.
 Now, we are no pessimist, IS we stated above, and are very slow to believe that the world is moving backwards, that people are grow ing worse and crime is on the in- crease. All pictures have two sides. We have been looking at the dark side. We have said that onr m ethods of farming had a downward tenderc cy, i. e.. raising cotton to the exclusion of other crops. To eXtrieate ourselves l (Which I great many of our farm CTS have been try ing to do) has had a downward tendency, and we are still trying. No doubt, many of you have seen some of the fol- lies of this practice, some of you have tasted some of it's sorrows. Some of you may have lost your homes and had your families cast out on the mercies of the world. Many of you have farms that are growing poorer each succeeding year, while the chances for you are growing less.
 Yet right in the face of all these things, thls country has mad c some progress in the last decade. For some you have bought and paid for homes since that time; others have diversified their crops to some extent and managed to keep abreast of the pressure oi the times. As a rule, you have more comfortable homes now than you had then. You have more and better stock; you have better teams and turn-outs; in many oth- CT ways could we point out to you the improve. appearances of the conrtry. The Southern farmers have large ideas; they magnify everything; 1t is q common error with them to undertake more chan they can manage. One of the best methods we know of to get out of debt, is to quit making them. Again we add that the signs of the times lave improved, and he that cannot see 1t must be blind to current events.
 What we wish to impress upon yolr minds is with well dlversj fled crop, our prosperity would be more rapid, marked and lasting. It would not be so easily affected. We would have the comforts and ueeessaries of life, and be more secure when great financial and commercial troubles, fko those that confront us at present, come. Which farmer will feel these de- pressed times more sensitively? The one that has diversified and