The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1898-04-14
NESBITT SOUNDS
WARNING Note
Agricultural Commissioner on
Unwieldy Areas.
PLAN IS NOT PROFITABLE
The Danger Of Flowing Over More
Land Than You Can Cultivate
Thoroughly-Deep Preparation Ena-
bles Crops to Successfully Resist
Drouth.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
ATLANTA. April l. 1898.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
ATLANTA, April l., 1893.
DON'T TRY TO CULTIVATE TOO MUCH
LAND.
The exceptionally dry and open win
ter has enabled industrious farmers il
all sections to be well advanced with
their work. For this reason, some may
have been tempted to pillow over more
land than they will be able to thor
oughly cultivate during the coming sea-
son. To these we would say, repair this
error right now-don't wait until you
are overcrepped and struggling vainly
against grass and accumulated work
and worry to find out your mistake. 1t
is better to abandon part of the land,
even after 1t is planted, and bring the
| remainder to the highest point of cult
| walton than to endanger the entire crop
by too large area, which must be hur-
riedly end imperfectly cultivated. A
farmer should be able to get around his
crops at least every ten days OF two
weeks, longer interval than this means
risk and often irreparable injury. April
has become the great cotton planting
month in Georgia. Of late years the
planting Of this crop has been gradually
delayed from a later to later date.
| Farmers are beginning to more fully
realize the importance Of thorough pre-
paration. and that any reasonable delay
in planting Is more than atoned for by
| putting the land in frstclass condition
for the reception Of the seed. OF two
crops, the one planted early and hur-
riedly on imperfectly prepared land, and
tll3 other later, on land more completely
and carefully plowed and fortified, it
will be found, as the season pro-
crosses, that the crop on the well pre-
| pared land. other conditions being
equal, will attain to more satisfac-
tory and perfect development and
| also that its proper cultivation is more
easily managed. On the land where the
| farmer has trusted to subsequent cult
walton to correct the mistakes and short
| comtngs OF hasty preparation the condi-
tons will be found far from satisfactory.
OF one fact the farmers should be thor
oughly convinced, and that is that no
amount Of after cultivation will ever
atone for the planting Of q crop on
rough, i'll conditioned land. Our lands,
| as q rule, do not receive the careful
preparation which will insure their
! greatest yield, and this neglect is the
main cause of short crops, as well as of
| lnnumerable harrasslng and retarding
experiences during the period of cul-
| tivation.
| THE LACK OF THE USUAL RAINFALL
furnishes another argument for the
| thorough preparation of the land. We
| could cite innumerable instances coming
| under our observation where thorough
| and deep blowing and subsoiling, before
| the crop was planted, have enabled it to
| survive, and even develop during pro-
! tracted drouth. There is now complaint
| from almost all sections of lack of water.
Some farmers, even this early i'll the
season, are compelled to haul from some
distance nearly all the water needed for
household and farm uses. Fortunate is
the man who has by deep and thorough
blowing formed a reservoir to catch and
hold such rains as have fallen, to be
ready for the demands of the crops
when the usual summer drouth comes
on. Not only does this careful prepare
ton enable him to lay up supply of
moisture, but the condition of his land
is such that he can practice the level
Qua AoCS SuAbuAC, 41S0 Is COuCGuCu W Dc
the elimination of successful farm
ing. This shallow cultivation of well
prepared land, never allowing a
crust to remain long on the surface, not
only keeps down weeds and grass, but
prevents the unnecessary evaporation of
the moisture, which our deep blowing
has enabled US to store up in lower depths.
David Dickson, the most successful of
for oIyty1 hi
abundant experience, maintained that
every inch added to the depth of prep
aration, largely increased the drouth re-
on that land. Farmers who have
not exercised the precaution of thor
ough preparation must now take the
chance Of injury from lack of necessary
moisture. They should counterfeit these
difficulties as far as possible and con-
serve their limited supply of moisture
by such shallow cultivation as the con-
dition of their land will admit.
REDUCTION OF THE COTTON ACREAGE.
In another column we call attention
to recent publication from Latham,
Alexander & Co. on this subject, and
we would emphasize, with all the force
at our command, what is there so plainly
stated. Under present conditions farm
ers have not the moral right to risk the
well being of themselves, their families,
of the whole south on an abnormally
large cotton crop and coarespondingly
short food supply.
In conversation with one of the larg-
est cotton ,lanters in the Mississippi
valley I was most foroibly impressed
with the folly of our past and present
policy. This man keeps an accu-
rate account of all expenditures, uses
improved implements, pays cash for ali
needed supplies, and though he makes
bales of cotton to the acre, without any
fertilizer, his crop costs him cents
pound-independent of the interest on
his large investment. He makes about
$500 bales. At the small margin of
profit allowed by ruling prices he does
not clear enough to pay even moder-
ate interest on his investment. The
same conditions apply with even greater
force to the small farmers The man
in Georgia who plants 25 acres in cot
ton at cost Of cents pound, though
he should make bale to each acre, will,
at the prices ruling during the greater
mart of th1S S.oo1x- al