The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1896-02-29
FARMER AND PLANTER.
COTTON PLANTING.

An Industry That Is of Constantly In
creesing Importance, Which Must be |
Met by Intelligent Effort.
With each recurring year the cotton
plant increases in value. The thought |
full farmer is casting about for the best |
plan to reduce the cost of its production !
county. One of the most effective plans
Is the intensive system of farming.
Under this system, well authenticated
yields per acre in Georgia of seed-cot-
ton are reported, of 6,917 pounds in
Washington; 1854 pounds in Troup;
$500 pounds In Burke and Carroll; 1000
pounds in Crawford; $500 pounds in
Bulloch; 2,700 pounds in Brooks and
Clay; 1900 pounds in Coweta and De-
Kalb, ranging from one and half
bales to five bales, of 450 pounds each,
per acre.
There are other possible lines of inn
provement in reducing the cost of
growing cotton and getting it ready
for market. We avail ourselves of the
opportunity afforded at time between
the season for picking and the season
for planting cotton to suggest that
much time may be economical in the
picking of cotton by arranging for its
being done rapidly and skillfully.
Dickson, of Hancock county, Ga, a sue
cessful farmer, regarded cotton pick
ing as an art. In his System of Farm
ing" he remarks:
mo system can prosper without
teaching all the operatives and labor
ers to be experts, whether agricultural
or manufacturing, or anything that is
done requiring labor. The first thing
to do, in regard to any of the opera
tions of labor, is to teach the laborers
how to do it; the next thing, to do it
with more ease and efficiency, and to
learn to do better and better work
every day. For instance, take a boil
| of cotton. They must be taught, with
the greatest speed, how to throw the
hand into the boil and pull out all of
the cotton with one lick, not waiting
to see whether any was left in the boil
or not, always having in mind to strike
but one lick at the boil, and as soon as
that is done to strike at another boil.
have, in five minutes, taught hand
to pick 100 pounds more of cotton per
day than he had picked on the previous
day, and from that point he will con-
tinue to improve. The greatest efficien-
CIV l have obtained in hands picking
cotton was 700 pounds-equal to three
good bags a week.
''Some men are generals, some me-
chanics, some orators, some farmers
some adapted to one profession and
some to another; but the great mass OF
men have to read, study and practice
to become efficient in any calling they
may select; and if they apply them
selves faithfully, and do not rise above
mediocrity, they shonld quit that bust
ness and try some other. Whatevel
has been accomplished by man, can b'
done again, and ought to- be done bet
ter, with all the accumulated knowl
edge of the past before us.
What is book-farming? It doe
not mean to take book in your hant
and go to the field; but it means yol
should read and study everything thai
you can possibly bring to bear oil
: farming, and store it away in you
head. But be sure to mastc
the subject, and learn the tru
J plan. This is the science o
| agriculture. Study bad practic
, as well as good, and learn of the latte
Il the errors, that you may avoid them
, Read books until you become so pei
, feet in theory and the use of tools an
manure, that You will have confidenc
, and the nerve to act, and at once, nc
, lose time running about to your neigf
, bors to see when to do thing and ho'
, to do it.
! 'Book-farming means for the farne
: just what book-learning does for tn
. physician. The medical student mu,
= read all the books and attend all tn
:, lectures and the dissecting room unit
!, he can pass, then take his medicin
and instruments, go ont to practit
!, and test his knowledge. So with bool
= farming. You must read and stud
not only agricultural books, but a
!. books that would apply in any way
- that profession. Cult
vator.