The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1899-01-12

given 10 the raislng of sock of all kinds.
| particularly cattle. logs and pou try.
With proper management, it is easier
ana cheaper 70 raise pound Of pork or
a pound OF any kind 0. poultry, than it
Is to raise pound of cotton. and yet a
pound Of pork is worth as much and a
pouId of poultry from two to three
times as much as pbund of cotton
i pe papers stated that Atlanta alone
used 10000 turkeys on Thanksgiving
day. and ! venture TO say that nine.
tenths OF them came from Tennessee
!, and Kentucky. What commentary
on our method Of farming.
A good beginning has been made in
the right direction in the sowing of the
largest wheat crop probably in the late
history Of the state. A far crop of fall
oats has also been planted, but the acre.
age should be doubled or trebled with
| out delay. Prepare to plant good corn
crop, not less than ten to II acres to the
pillow; and be sure TO either broadcast
field peas in your corn at the last plow-
ing, or drop them on, or by the side of the
corn rows at the second blowing. Then
prepare not less than five acres to the
pillow for such crops as groundpeas, po-
tatoes, sugarcane, millet, etc, After
that. put ten acres, and no more, in
cotton, regardless of who may advise
you to the contrary. A crop like this
will give you 20 acres to the pillow, and
that is enough for North Georgia,
though in Middle and South Georgia, a
few more acres might be cultivated in
corn or groundpeas.
Buy as little guano as possible, but
use all the homemade fertilizers that
you can get together between this and
planting time
Stop buying hoehandles, axhelves,
names and other things that you can
and should make at home on rainy days.
Never go to town with an empty
wagon. but always carry something to
sell. if only load of wood.
Buy nothing on credit if you can pos.
sibly avoid it. Better suffer some pri-
vations than go in debt.
If we would be independent and pros.
porous, we must farm on the lines sug-
gested. No other road will lead US out
OF the woods in which we are now al.
most hopelessly lost-but if we will fol-
low the course I have endeavored to
blaze out, we will in short time be a
happy, prosperous and contented people.
In the laudable effort to become self
sustaining, all must lend hand. The
merchants and the landlords can greatly
aid in the good work by not insisting
that their customers and tenants shall
plant large cotton crop in order to get
supplies. This course, hitherto pur-
sued, has resulted in greatly increasing
the cotton acreage, to the serious in.
jury may even say almost ruin-of
all hands concerned. If they would try
the opposite course, extending aid and
credit only to those who make their
NSON ouPPAOog AOW uAACISIlG duu uOW
gratifying would be the result. I ap-
peal particularly to the merchants, who,
by their insistence on large cotton
acreage before credit would be extended,
have practically 'killed the goose that
laid the golden egg" Let them '.face
about" and refuse credit to their GUS
toners who may contemplate planting
large cotton acreage. If such a course
should be adopted and carried out, it
needs no gift of prophecy to foretell
that vast amount of poverty and suf-
fering would be banished from our
state.
am more than willing to help on this
good cause by every means in my power,
and the greatest reward that the con.
duct of this department. could offer me
would he the satisfaction of feeling that
had aided, even though in very small
degree, in restoring to the suffering
farmers of Georgia, that plenty and
prosperity which they once enjoyed.
o. B. STEVENS, Commissioner.