The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1902-11-08
FARMER AND PLANTER.


Necessaries ON Hand.
ITO have and to hold are to two
entirely different matters. 1t is one
thing to have, another to hold.
Just at this time the farmers in
this section of the south are in good
shape to have things their own way
SO far as they are individually con-
cerned. To hold this position is the
object which should be kept in view
by all our farmers.
To illustrate l may use the express
sion of an Augusta merchant. He
said to me: 81 guess you farmers
are on the high-road to happiness
now. Five years ago you said, Give us
ten-cent meat, ten-cent cotton and
dollar corn and we'll be all solid. i
am sure you've got the ten-cent meat
and dollar corn and very near ten
cent cotton. i expect -four at eight
dollars per barrel, sugar at ten cents
and coffee at twenty-five cents would
complete your happiness"
l never did clamor for such a con-
dition of affairs, but in case our hap
piness is made complete, say let us
hold on to what we've already gained.
1t is useless for any farmer, philos-
opher, writer, or anybody else to try
to establish a fact going to show that
cotton is not the money crop of the
south and will not always be. But in
the meantime it can be shown with
ease that after cotton comes down
to a certain price it ceases to become
a money crop. However, at present
prices, cotton yields fair profit and
we must take steps to keep it some
where near its present figures.
To do this we must put our best
knowledge to the production of food
stuffs. The corn crop in many Sec
tons has been greatly damaged by
the drought, but the recent rains
have considerably revived it. Good,
intelligent cultivation will now pro-
duce many good results. This culti-
walton varies in different localities.
Some soils require deep tillage, 9TH
ers the lightest possible that is con-
sistent with judicious ideas as to how
deep it is necessary to pillow in order
to destroy the lower orders of plant
life.
With good seasons, late blowing of
the corn crop is decidedly advantage
Gus. 1t causes every ear to fill out
well, thereby dispensing with the
'nubbins'' which are SO distasteful
to the farmer.
The wheat and oat crops OF Geor-
gia have increased greatly during the
last few years and the wheat crop
has proved the salvation Of the far
mer in this section of the state (east-
central Georgia. this year. The
freeze and drought cut down the oat
crop considerably and as result
wheat has been the main-stay,, being
both fed to stock and used chiefly as
the staff of life" by the farmers.
Following this increase in the grain
crops is corresponding increase IN
the acreage of peas and other legumi-
best of all the new innovations in
farming, one that / have advocated
for years. In addition to the increase
of the crop following after peas there
is permanent improvement in the
land. This improvement is needed
everywhere for in every section you
see worn-out fields that need some
rejuvenating aid.
We do not need to raise enough
foodstuffs to go into competition
with the great grain sections as. to
the trade with the outside world.
What we need is full corn criband a
barn full of hay to be used on our
own farms. We need good cows to
produce milk and butter for our own
use. We ned hogs to raise enough
meat for our own use and not keep
our meat in a 'smoke-house- made
on new plan and situated in Chi
cago. Give me this and I'll hold on to
cotton till l get my price. OF course
some of us must raise something else
for market besides cotton, but that
rule which works well with the gem
eral class of farmers is to be sure and
raise enough foodstuffs for their own
use and then raise anything else you
can to sell.-Rhea Hayns, in southern
Culfivo for