St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-04-28
FARMER AND PLANTER.
D1vERsIFICATIoN VS.. DEBT.
Farmers should Not PIN Their
Faith to Cotton as . Money
Producing Crop.

/ rNiM 10 cotton a@ Money
Producing Crop.
Letters that have reached me from
kn parts of the cotton growing states
convince me that there is going to be
one of the largest cotton crops in the
history of our country planted this
year. In my Judgment, this will be a
/ great mistake. My brother and I can
4 plant fifteen acres to cotton, and make
ali we can gather, and we can culti-
vate ten acres in sweet potatoes, and
What we sell to market, together with
the culls and waste that we feed to
our hogs, and thus turn into money,
and the seed we sell in the spring, will
bIlng MS more cash than the cotton.
am convinced We do not raise near
| enough feed stuffs. Every farmer in
our section can, with profit, keep five
or six head of good COWS, and have
them sleek and fat the year round,
and the milk and butter from these
| cows, their increase, and the manure
they will make, will bring as much
as the cotton he can gather. With
the improved tools for cultivating
crops we can cultivate this fifteen
acres OF cotton, ten acres of potatoes,
Tour or five acres in sweet corn, and
peanuts for our hogs, one or two acres
IN other garden stuff, besides enough
land in corn, sorghum and pea vines
TO iced these cows and five or six
horses all they want. Sweet potatoes
that we put on the market will be off
our hands before the cotton is ready
TO pick. We feed to our hogs all
through the season such as we can
not sell or save for seed; and the best
part about them is, we have them on
our table the year round. This forage
is also stored before the cotton needs
us, and then during the summer
months we may gather several bushels
OF peas, Kill the weevils in them, put
them away until spring, and sell them
at three cents per pound, as we are
doing now. Another great value in
TINS diversified farming is, when we
keep horses and cows and give them
ell the forage they can consume, we
to 500 loads of manure year. The
fastest way to bring up land is to have
a regular rotation of crops, planting
each field every few years in peas. We
notice Farm and Ranch told us last t
week about the different ways that
peas bring us profit. We may not get
much money from this kind of farm
ing, but we are willing to have good
living, and if God gives us health, we
will make enough money to keep ont
OF debt, that horrible condition that
has ruined many good men. There is
road that leads to prosperity on the
farm, but that road does not go by
way OF debt. Show me a farmer who
has succeeded raising cotton alone, as
lis money crop, to buy everything else
With, and l will show you thousand
Who have failed. Our country is full
If men who have tried this for thirty
Eears and failed.
1T may bt good business at times to
borrow a little money, that we may
oay cash for what we must buy, but
or man at the beginning of each
vear to commence to buy on time, to
'e paid when cotton is gathered, is "a
custom. We ought rather to
lways keep little money in the bank
or an emergency, and for opportuni- l
les to catch bargains. When this IS
one we will be a more happy and 7
prosperous people; then we can be-
in to see the real beauties of farm /
fe. ] can not afford to raise cotton t
lone, and have money coming cnly t
nee year, and have to go in debt I'M
Il that time. We are continually buy I
ag, and must be continually selling. or 1
e will have to ask some one for credit. L
If am right about this, let some e
ne give us light on this subject, for f
'e are living in an age which not only v
equires all of our energies, but we u
lust have the ideas of each other. Il
ONE one may say: IF we were all to v
liant crop of sweet potatoes, we, T,
ould flood the market Yes; but we p
re, not all going at it. There are two K
lings we must watch, viz: Our mar r.
ct, to see what it wants, and our soil, n
} see what it will it produce. There d
e many things that this market
ants that our soils will produce, that re
i'll be bringing in money every month W
the year, and then we can raise all IN
le cotton we can gather, and this hi
'tton money will not have to go to ii
~ debts that have been accumu1at- dl
6 since the beginning of the year,
I'd swallow up our happiness and
oney besides. The credit system must
practiced as long as cotton raising
kes the place Of farming.-W. II. .
arhardt, in Texas Farm and Ranch - -