The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1894-04-07
FARMER AND PLANTER.
LIVING ON POOR LAND.
An Absorbing Question In the Daily Life
of MANY Earmera.

LIVING ON POOR LAND.
An Absorbing Question in the Daily LII
| of Many Farmers.
With large number of farmers tn
absorbing question is, how on a poor
run down farm, without capital, to ge
enough supplies to last through tn,
year,and the little money absolutely
necessary. This question is often flip
PANTY answered by the advice to mov'
to a better farm, as tenant, or to e
west, ETC., but this is generally imprac
teal Die, as in most cases the farmer il
too poor to change,and he and his fam
lily are neither able nor willing to d.
the large amount of rough work which
such move would necessitate. Be
sides a foothold or home of your own
with all its accomplishments of ole
friends, local attachments and fixeG
habits, is gift of God not to be light
~ abandoned.
Having TO face such conditions, the
hrst thought should be economy; not
seeing how the family and animals
could be fed on the proverbial one
straw day of which the old horse
died, but the management of the land
in such a way that the greatest net in
come could be produced from it with
out injuring it.
1t any farmer who feels hopeless of
his ability to support his family will
sit down and figure up the supplies alb
soiutely 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 If this reduces you to one
horse, ono 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 i'll preparation and ill 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 labor for which you not
only receive no reward, but draw on
vexation and loss, the forcing
OF your dearly-bought crop on a glut-
ted market, with the laborers waiting
at your door for all the money received.
Farmers are prone to denounce specu-
lators. All men are Spectators who
by hired labor produce more of anv
article. than they need for their own
nse. What shall we saw of the
speculator who speculatcs with
not only the probabilities. but
Inc 'certainties against him, as
my man does who attempts to
make staple crops for sale from poor
and. and with hired labor. And lust
low many men, knowing this, plunge
rom the frying-pan into the fire, by
buying manipulated commercial fer
ilizers From an experience dating |
,ack to the conclusion of the war. as n |
market gardner, farmer and travelling
alesman of agricultural implements,
can say that as a rule, it does not nav [
o use for staple crops manipulated
ertilizers on land originally poor.
ither for the crop to which it is ap-
lied, or for the future benefit of the
and. ! do not mean to decry the use
4 commercial fertilizers for special
rops. or for giving tobacco good
tart, or for getting stand of clover.
ut for the last two, it is neces-
airy that the land should
ave been originally poor. / also
hink that there is no way SO cheap or
asy to improve land as by the free use
pure bone -four and potash salts.
ut this is like saying that the best
1ay to improve poor land is to buy
God, for less than 400 pounds of bone
nd 200 pounds of KANT has no an
reciable effect on pcor land, and less
IAN 100 pounds of each has no yerv
larked effect. Another waste is try
lg to do more. than your own labor,
Ioney on command and supplies on
and will allow you to do at the proper
me and in the proper way. And
Ist. but not least, the making of a |
sbt of any kind is to be avoided. |.
EN- on good farms may sometimes be
ght in anticipating future income I
ON their property, but on poor 1
Irn this is never justifable. Cor. /
ONE and Farm. IL