The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1896-02-20

ANAA'c deANO OoNO4OpSU, iIu LILY NOAo ANA
1t, you Will find the occupation Of farm
ing not only healthful and attractive
but profitable as we'll The old order of
things has passed away. 1t is no longer
possible to take few crops from farm
OF virgin soil. and then leaving it
SCARED and eroded and almost ruined,
move further west to repeat the same
process on other soil. 1t is our interest,
therefore, to improve and not wear out
our farms. and this can best be done by
adopting improvements in preparing
our land and cuitivating our crops, in
other words by intensive farming.
There are millions of acres in the old
countries of Europe. that after hun
dreds Of years of cultivation. are better
today than whom the original forest
growth was first cut cut from them,
while in this new country it would be
difficult to find many acres of farm land
as good as when first cleared, while mill
lions Of acres have been rendered almost
worthless by careless cultivation. Let
US not forget that our descendants must
look for support to the same lands
that we are now cultivating, and that
therefore it is our duty, and should be
our pleasure, to preserve and improve
them. This cannot be done by the old
plan of shallow blowing over a large
area, putting the soil in the best possible
condition to be washed away by every
heavy rain, but it can be done and with
profit to ourselves by the intensive plan
of farming
THE POSSIBILITIES OBJ OUR SOIL
But few of our farmers are aware of
the immense productiveness Of the soil
when thoroughly prepared, highly fer
tilted and we'll worked. To encourage
and stimulate intensive farming, the
Weekly Atlanta Constitution last spring
offered premium of 800 an acre for
the best results from an acre each Of
corn, cotton, sweet potatoes, water
melons and tobacco. The following
farmers took the premiums offered:
For the best acre of cotton: Mr. W.
G. Cross of Bibb county, Ga, for 7,OS0
pounds Of seed cotton, raised and gath
cred at an expense Of $52.2Q.
For the best acre Of corn: Mr.. G. B.
Cranshaw Of Newborn, Ga., for 176S6
bushels, raised at an expense of 1910.
For,the best acre Of watermelons: Me-
V. Green of Wolf City, Tex, raised
1.l93 large melons at cost Of $50 30.
For the best acre Of tobacco: Mr.. J.
S. DeJarnette Of South Fork, Ark, for
1862 pounds of fine tobacco, raised at
all expense Of $43.25.
For the best acre Of sweet potatoes:
Mr.. w. S. Dill of Sandy Flat, S. c.,
52015 bushels, raised at an expense Of
$24.80.
There were some 80 or 40 contestants.
all OF whom made excellent crops, but
those above mentioned were the best.
Now, in view Of such results as these,
why will farmers persist in cultivating
i2 to Is acres to make five bales of cot
ton, when the same amount can be
made on two, or certainly three acres Of
land, with much less labor, too, in the
hot summer weather. If Mr.. Dill of
Sandy Flat, S. c., can make 529L
bushels Of potatoes, then am sure any
good farmer in Georgia can make some.
where i'll that neighborhood. Let us
aim to diminish the number Of acres
that we cultivate, but at the same time
increase our crops.
This can only be done by thorough
preparation of the land and judicious
manuring, combined with good cultiva-
ton after the crops are up Let US not
strive to put in large acreage to the
plow, but confine our efforts to smaller
acreage, better prepared, better fortified
and better cultivated.
By this course, while our crops will
be increased, the cost of making them
will be diminished, and we will have
more land to devote to pasturage and
the raising of stock. 1t should be the
aim Of every farmer to so manage his
land, that year by year its fertility
would be increased and not diminished
as is usually the case.
QUESTION 3.-Will the cotton acreage
be increased, and why do you oppose It?
ANSWER 3.-As Commissioner Of Ag.
riculture I am in a position to know bet.
ter than any other man in the state,
your prospective plans, and as your di-
rect representative in the state govern
ment, deem it my duty to warn you
against increasing the acreage in cotton.
The signs all point to this intention.
The sale of mules throughout this and
adjoining states, is much larger than
for some years past, and the sales of fer
tilizer tags from this Office, are almost
double what they were, at this time last
year.
These facts and others that have