St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-03-21
Cov1NGToN. ST TAMMANY La,
AND PLANTER

FARMER AND PLANTER.
COTTON PLANTING.
A IaAssesy That = ef Ceaseaatly II
GRsa91nG l0poReaAsos which 00se -
Mse ~ 1neollleoat BOoet.
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
In the intensive system Of farming.
Under this system, we'll authenticated
yields per acre in Georgia Of seed-cot-
ton arc reported, Of 6,917 pounds In
Washington: l.so4 pounds in Troup;
400 pounds In Burke and Carroll; 1000
pounds n Crawford; $500 pounds in
Bulloch; s,7o0 pounds in Brooks and
Clay; 400 pounds In Coweta and De-
KAlb. ringing from one and . half
bales TO Ave bales. Of $50 pounds each,
per acre.
There are other possible lines Of i'm
provement in reducing the cost Of
growing cotton and getting it ready
for market We svail ourselves Of the
opportunity afforded at . time between
the season for picking and the season
for planting cotton 70 suggest that
much time may be economised in the
picking of cotton BY arranging for its
being done rapidly and skillfully.
Plant with IN eye to this end. David
Dickson, o6 Hancock county. Ga, sue
eessful farmer, regarded cotton pick
ing - IN art. In his System Of Farm
ing" he remarks,
mo system can prosper without
teaching all tho operatives and labor
err to Be experts, whether agricultural
or manufacturing. or anything that b
done requiring labor. The first thing
TO do, In regard 70 any Of the opera
tions Of labor. Il to teach the laborers
how to do II; 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 : boil
Of cotton. They must be taught, with
the greatest speed, how to throw the
hand into the boil and pull ont all Of
the cotton with ono lick, not waiting
to see whether any was left In the boil
or not, always having in mind to strike
but ons lick at the boll, and - soon -
that II done - strike at another boil.
have, IN i've minutes, taught . hand
to pick 100 pounds moro Of cotton per
day than he had picked on the previous
day, and from that point he win con-
tinue to improve. The greatest eAicien-
cy I have Obtained in hands picking
cotton was 100 pounds s-equal to three
good bags . week.
''S0no men are generals. some me-
chanics, some orators, some farmers;
some adapted 70 one profession and
some to another; but the great mass Of
men have 10 read, study and practice
to becope efficient IN any calling they
may select; and II they apply them
selves faitAfully, and do not rise above
medioczity. they should quit that busi-
ness and try some other. Whatevee
has been accomplished By man, can b
-Aona aaains 81 Aoneht al -
ter, with all the sccumulated knowl-
edge Of the past before rs.
''What Is . book-farming? It does
not mean to take . book in your hand
and 60 to the held; but it means you
should read and study everything that
you can possibly bring to bear on
farming, and store It away in your
head. But be sure to master
tho subject, and learn the true
plan. This il the science Of
agriculture. Study bad practice
~ well - good. and learn Of the latter
the errors, that you may avoid them.
Read books until you become 50 per-
feet in theory and the use of tools and
manure, that You win have confidence
and the nerve to act, and 1t once, not
lose time running about to your neigh
bors to see when to do , thing and how
to do It.
''Boolk-farming means for the farmer
just what book-learning does for the
physician. The medical student must
read ali tie books and attend all the
lectures and the dissecting room until
he can pass, then take his medicine
and instruments, 60 ont to practice
and test his knowledge. So with book
farming. You must read and study
not only agricultural books, but all
books that would apply in any way to
that profession. "-SOuthern Guilt
v1tof.