The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-17

called lard, oil cakes, hulls and cotton
seed meal at prices far in advance OF
their actual worth. Instead, let them
apply these seed in conjunction with
acid and some form of potash, back to
their land, and there will be less de-
mand for so much high-priced fertilizers.
We know 1t is the custom TO advise the
exchange of seed for meal al the oil
mills giving a ton of seed for l, 100 pounds
Of meal. then feeding that to cattle and
saving the manure at a greatly increased
profit. This sounds well, and could it be
carried out fairly in practice, might pay.
but il will not pan out that way. In the
first place oil mills are not accessible 10
all farmers, and the buyer of cotton seed
for spot cash, even where he has meal
for sale, places the lowest valuation upon
the farmers seed and the highest valua-
ton upon his own meal, that he can con-
sistently do with an already perverted con-
science. When there are oil mills within
reach, they will either not give a fair
amount of meal to reimburse the farmer
for hauling, or they refuse TO exchange at
all. Either the hauling both ways is done
for nothing, or If an exchange be made
in which compensation therefor is al
lowed he is apt to have a poor article
palmed off upon him, and not enough
of chat. AS for feeding to stock and
saving the manure, even supposing the
exchange has been effected on the basis
of one ton of seed for l, 100 pounds of
meal it will be found impracticable. We
venture the assertion there is not one
Georgia farmer per hundred who stables
his stock every night, much less all the
time, How is he to save it under these
circumstances? At best he can save but
half the meal fed, that occupying a place
in the cow-lot in the shape of manure
where it remains exposed to the elements
for months at time. The other half OF
his costly meal is scattered about the pas
ture in places high and places low, where
the first rain that comes will convey it
to places still lower. In other words,
wash il away altogether Let us see what
the farmer has to show for his 1900 pounds
of cotton seed
At his own door they were well worth
50; hauling both ways $780, making the
cost of his meal $1l 80, when for cash he
can buy meal at SIS per ton. or so cents
per hundredweight 1,100 pounds costing
him but $3.50, which is 81 80 less than he
gives. After raking and scraping that COW
lot for half a day he will have a few
loads of almost worthless manure, some
where amongst which is half or $50
pounds of that cotton seed meal, many
times deprecated in value since feeding.
Unless his stock has taken on extra flesh
or increased in milk sufficient to make up
the deficiency, that farmer is decidedly
out of pocket. Is there any pay in this?
What our soil needs is first, level culture;
second, deep blowing; third, a full supply
of humus; and, lastly, a well balanced
manure containing the three essential Ell
ements of plant life, nitrogen, phosphoric
acid and potash. How best can we OBJ
tain these? First, by terracing our land
so that it will not wash away faster than
reclaimed. Next by a constant and free
use of the subsoil pillow, each year going
deeper until there is no means Of increas-
] Il ,a..a
of sowed peas to supply humus and
nitrogen. And lastly by the compost heap,
to help out the peas and furnish such
other elements as the land requires. A
| careful study of methods and comparison
| of results will demonstrate conclusively
| that the Georgia farmers who follow this
| practice are the ones who are least en-
numbered by debts and the only ones who
are to-day actually making any clear
money.