Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1901-10-05
SALIENT FARM NOTES.
A Practical Farmer Presents Few
suggestions Prompted by En-
perience and observation.

The great drought of 1901 will serve
to teach many farmers that it is not
safe to put all of their eggs into one
basket. Thousands of farmers were
becoming specialists; that is, they
were beginning to grow one crop to
the exclusion of all others, Many |
had decided that corn is the most |
profitable crop that can be raised in
the so-called corn belt" and either
were growing or were preparing to
grow that one cereal exclusively In
MANY sections Of the drought-strick-
en- area those who had adopted corn
a their speciality find themselves we'll
nigh stranded. The long drought
practically ruined the crop, and all
they viii get out Of it will be little
fodder. They will have no grain of
any kind. Oats, wheat, barley and rye
were too early for the drought, and
those who had fields of one or more
Of these have a supply of grain that
win enable them to hold their young
stock. TO feed their working animals,
and 10 carry over full number of
breeding stock, COWS, sheep, hogs and
fowls.
While there is no question that corn
is the best-paying crop that can be
grown in the great corn belt" the
possibility Of partial or complete
| failure of the great cereal should be
sufficient TO induce farmers to SOW
/ oats, wheat, rye or some other crop
on a portion of their land. In many
localities oats fail to yield profta-
Gle crop except in favorable years
They are stricken by rust a few days
before ripening, the grain whitening
and the straw softening, so that they
fall of their own weight. If the croT
is carefully watched at the critical
period the first indications of rust
may be noted and the crop cut fol-
hay before injury is done. Those who
have never fed oat hay do not know
what a splendid feed it is. Cattle ant
horses will eat every spear of it, ant
do better on it than on good timothy
Sheep eat it rayenously. 1t should b'
moved like grass, cured and put NJ
like hay. / have seen fields of twent,
to forty acres of oats allowed to g
to waste because they were rusted AM
the grain shriveled to chaff, wheI
: the entire lot might have been save
and converted into the finest hay on
could wish by cutting when the frs
indications of rust were apparent.
| had some COW peas well starte
before the drought became severe
and they have made good growth
When the soil was as dry as powde
and the temperature was 100 and owe
they would look rather limp frol
about s a. m. to nearly sunset, the
they would straighten up again an
by morning be looking first rat
| sowed another lot after the drougt
had fairly set in, and they came u
grew about four inches, and stage
:. there. There are not more than fot
or five inches high at this time (Jul
27thl, but they are looking lively ar
only waiting for rain to jump upwai
a at lively rate. Farmers who live
!, land that dries out quickly shou
: make sure of some early crop II
g feed. have never seen a season TIL
n was so dry that neither nearly M
e late crop could be grown. Nine tim
n in ten the early crop is the safes
e because it misses the summer drougl
c that seems to have become almo
t inevitable. Many writer's have a
+. vised the sowing Of COW peas as la
h as the middle of June, 1t is far sal
TO SOW them early.
}. There is one thing that every farl
It err should do, if his land is in such
Ii shape that he can, and that is to ola
j up a rayine on his farm SO as 70 for
lake. / know hundreds of farms
which this can be done at little
pense. and a depth of ten to TWEEN
! feet of water secured. ] have not
= many sorry attempts at buildi
: dams for this purpose, the work
! ing less than half done, with the usI