St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-01-11
FARMER AND PLANTER.
FARMING VS.. PLANTING.

FARMING VS.. PLANTING.
Eallaey Of The NssSea That Csttea Can
Net - Related with Oslsr Creus.
It has been said that the nature OF
the cotton crop forbids its being
grown in . regular farm rotation as u
praetieed among good farmers in sec
tions whore the money crops are grain
and stock. The utter fallacy Of the
notion that this can b the case with
any annual crop has been repeatedly
shown from the experience Of those
who have broken away from the old
time methods Of cotton growing. and
have shown that cotton dts ~ well
into m improving rotation OF crops -
any other Of our hoed crops. 1t is true
that - use In . rotation necessitates
rather longer rotation than where
there Is but one hoed crop in the rota-
tion. for whore cotton b grown there
corn must almost Of necessity b
grown also. and to properly lo-
cate two hoed crops in . rotation.
20 that both can have fair chance for
success. involves . lengthening Of the
series Of the crops This il matter OF
no disadvantage. however. as it gives
more diversity to the farming, and
opens mp moro opportunities for the
profitable keeping Of stock on the cot
ton farm. We would lay It down ~ .
rule that NO progressive farmer in the
south should disregard. that two clean
cultivated crops should never follow
each other In successive seasons on the
same land. unless . leguminous crop
can be egotten In between them. We
will suppose that the farmer in the
coast plain. the true cotton belt. will
adopt for his crops cotton, corn and
winter osta Now. the true idea
In = rotation Of crops II to
% manage his rotation and
fertilization - to get the largest
amount Of the money crop. cot
on. rer acre. while steadily in
ereasing the fertility of his soil. He
will study the art Of using fertilizers
20 that he can get, by means Of the 70
tation he uses, not only without cost
but 1T IN actual profit. the most ex-
pensive portion Of . hi9h-grade fer
tilizer. the nitrogen. which. whom pur-
chased In tho market, costs more than
three times - much per pound what
the potash and phosphoric acid cost
II he farms without such . well-de-
vised rotation, In the old one-erop
plan. he must buy the nitrogen. and
must thus be handicapped in grow
Ing cotton in competition with . neigh
Dor who farms while he plantA With
the added cost in the crop Of tho nitro
gen his neighbor makes . profit in
getting from the air while he pays
. heavy price for Il on the market It
h easy to zee then that while his neigh
Dor may find margin Of profit In the
cotton crop he may 1t the same price
lose money in the culture. and not only
lose money ON the crop, but hnd that
his land il growing poorer and poorer
1t the same time. And this Il to-day
the condition Of the great mass Of the
cotton growers Of the South Atlantic
cotton country. Now let us assume
that the farmer Is going to get ont Of
this destructive syatem, or rather lack
Of any system. and that he Is going to
grow something else besides cotton.
And he is going to do this. not
because of some misty notion that
he has that he should diversity
his crops. and grow some other
things besides eottos just in the same
way that he has been growing cotton.
but that be has determined to use these
other crops ~ . means toward the de-
velopment Of his land for the more
profitable culture Of cotton. He il not
going to grow lot Of corn this year
% A. to be able to say that he has
grown enough to last for several years
while he grows cotton. but he il going
to use these extra crops - any busi-
ness man would use the stock he has
for sale. to help pay his expenseA He
will get rid forever Of the idea that his
cotton Il the only thing to get money
ont Of, but will turn all his sur
plus Of any kind into money. and
thus tend toward the smaking Of the
cotton crop . surplus crop for profit
The change from . plantation which
has been run for years in the single
crop Of cotton until Il will only bring
cotton BY the application Of . complete
= =
crops are grown In . systematic man
ner, can not be done all at once. unless
the owner has . surplus cash capital
But Il can be done gradually by any
man Of industry and perseverancet
The one thing which our people need
to learn II the value Of concentration
in farming, and TO realize that few
acres heavily fertilized and we'll eulti.
vsted will give more profit than many
lightly dressed and scratched over.
II. therefore. the man who Wishes TO
change his practice will drop OF about
half the area he usually enltixnEes in
the cotton crop and use on the re-
mainder Ill the fertilizer he has been
accustomed to use on the whole. he
will have . fair chance to make more
clear money than he would On the
whole, for the extra dose II fertilizer
win not only give him aeter crop
Of the staple. bat will help in tho
adoption Of the rotation We propose.
We will suppose that he does %.
and In August. On his we'll -cul-
tivated and enfiohed acres he sows
all among his cotton seed Of Grim
son clover ct tho rate Of fifteen
pounds per aere. and II by any means
DO ca4 afford 70 buy few hundred
pounds Of acid phosphate and potash
for top dressing on the clover I'm the
fall he will Be that much further
ahead, and the money will Be invested
where It will pay . better percentage
than in hank stocks. Wewill assume
that he i going to keep some stock to
add 70 the profits Of his farming and
| 70 furnish manure to lessen the need
Of purchased 1ertfliseu- The clover
will give him. II treated - We suggest.
. Ane crop of hay in April Or May.
which he win, Of course. save for
stock feeding. He can then plow the
stubble ut once and sow the COW
peas broadcast. and - soon ~ well
Alled with mature pods turn in the
hogs, for yoa will surely want TO raise
pork - : matter Of food and profit in
farming. and the hogs will use the
| 800 - s,-rnN - HE ~ thnv ea0 h. uxe6l