The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-09-10
CONDITIONS OF FARMING.

Diversity Of Crops Advocated-The 'One
Idea" Injurious to Any Section.
There has been in the southern states
a steady diversifcation Of farming,
and it is this change for the better
which is pulling the southern farm
er through the hard times. In this
connection Home and Farm discourses
as follows: The zone CROP idea is in
furious to any section, for the soil itself
revolts and demands rest through
change. No doubt there is some advan-
tage in special training which comes
from the subdivision of labor even on a
Farm, but when this results, as in the
northwest, in a raising only of wheat
the failure Of wheat means poverty.
Some sections of Kentucky are given
over to horse raising To raise horses
properly required special training and
special capital and the decline in the
value of horses has carried down one
stock farm after another.
In the south crop of nearly 10, OO0,-
600 bales of cotton reduced prices to
point where it was absolutely necessary
to raise something else The result was
a reduced cotton crop, a great corn crop
and better prices for what the south had
to sell. But this improvement in cotton
caused the southern farmer to curtail
his corn acreage and increase his cotton
acreage Result, more cotton, lower
prices and less food.
The season may yet aid the farmer
by curtailing the crop, but this is ex-
pensive, for when the south plows and
plants for 10, 900, 900 bales the labor is
one fourth lost when adverse conditions
reduce the yield. The place to reduce
the cotton crop is in planting. Plant for
small crop, and the crop will be profit
able.
This has been q great year for yegeta-
ton. Fruit, vegetables and corn are
growing rankly. In various sections cot
ton, too, shows fine condition. But a
good year for vegetation is also good
year for insects, and in some sections
the worms are curtailing the crop in a
very effective manner. The south should
raise more corn and use the silo more
for cattle food
The authority quoted regrets that the
year and says, But if the south has
raised more fruit and vegetables, more
grasses and forage, then the bounty Of
nature in this year of plenty will not be
considered all injury, and if prices are
low the years abundance may be some
compensation. -
Concerning Bananas.
1t is believed by many lovers Of ba-
nanas that if they could only eat the
fruit directly from the plant they would
find it incomparably more delicious.
This is all error. Even Oh the planta-
lions where grown bananas are never
allowed to ripen on the stalk. Like our
pears, the banana is much better If
taken from the stalk when mature but
not ripe and allowed to ripen else
where. The banana stalk bears but ono
bunch of fruit and is always cut down
in harvesting that bunch. Suckers
continually spring up from the roots Of
the banana; hence the crop goes on, one
sucker after another coming up 70 bear
it's bunch of fruit after those preceding
it have been cut down in the process Of
harvesting.
The main sources Of supply for ba-
nanas coming to the United States are
Jamaica and the eastern coast of Cen
trail America. From Port Limon, in
Costa Rica, /. good many thousand fine
punches come i'll every year, and also
from the region Of Bluefield and the
Escondido river, in Nicaragua. But the
largest shipments are from Jamaica.
For the year 1894 the value of bananas
imported was 81, 900, TAI, aud for 1898
it was S., $50, 029. Age