The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1902-08-16
FARMERAND PLANTER.
GRATIFYING SIGNS.
Improved Farming Methods COmin8
Into Vogue, But Too MucA
Land IL Cultivated.

ing done on many farms. Greater :
diversity of crops and improved meth
DDS are in evidence. The farmers are y
reading and thinking more than for ?
merly. Prosperity is taking the place
of failure and adversely. There is
higher appreciation of the dignity |
of farm work. The farmers are hold ,
ing up their heads among their fel
low men. The entire atmosphere Is I
changed. The exodus from the farms
is falling off. There is even dispo- ]
sition to return to the farm on the
mart of many who had moved TO
town. Many who have been reared
in the cities are now looking to the
farm as a more desirable home than
the city, This is consummation NC
voutly to be wished for.
We have recently visited sectons
with which we have long been Ia
miliar. Twenty-Five years ago these
lands were worn and washed, and not
considered worth longer cultivation
Thousands of acres were abandoned.
| Cullies and briars and old-field pines
had taken possession. Dilapidation
re;qned. supreme. But great change
has been wrought. These heids nave
been recleared. The gullies have as
anpeared. The briars and pines have
gone. Crops, better than ever grew
upon these lands, are now growing
Restoration has done much OF It's
marvellous work.
But on every hand and everywhere
one thing stands clearly evident.
Each individual farmer is trying TO
cultivate too much land. There is
hind of craze for broad acres. Evil
dences of lack of thorough prepara-
t;on and thorough culture are album
dant. If you call attention to this
the reply is: "We nave not had time
IN do this work as it should have
. been DONE" Every man is over
cropped. He is trying to get from
: twenty acres what he could have got
ten from eight or ten with half OF the
! work and half of the EXPENSE ms
. nrofits would have been more than
FL doubled.
e We have seen many fields of wheat
e where 20 acres would rot yieid
! what might have been gathered from
n two acres properly prepared and
e sown at the right time. Even win
the imperfect preparation the carry
e sown wheat is making fair crops. But
e the late sown is almost universally q
e failure. Where from thirty to forty
& bushels per acre might have been
: made they are getting from four to
six. If YOU inquire about this the
answer will generally be that this is
not a wheat year. But the fact stu
l. remains that those who prepared
their land thoroughly and sowed a
the right time have satisfactor.
cRops of wheat.
b, Winter wheat in this southland u
ct n biennial plant. It wants the las
no half of one year in which TO max
n root development and the first hal
ST IF the next year in which to max
d. the grain. If it has not had tim
he 70 make sufficient root development
mt in the fall, it is not apt to make sal
ne isfactory grain development IN Tn
it. spring.
ne To make a success of wheat-grov
at ;po the soil should be broken froI
TO twelve to fifteen inches early in tn
ZIG fall when the clay is dry. This shoul
no be narrowed until it is fne, the
me rolled down firm, and the whes
ms sown the latter part of October. "
r.. have never known failure when tn
be- plan has been followed.
The The same criticism is just with
,od gard to all the crops. Too mut
= Ground has been planted and Il
,de nreparation has been poor. Cut dow
or. the acres and run up the profit
Ter This can be done. But if you can
for make up your mind to do this, tn
but there is one other thing which y
md can do. You can get better toe
Nv and work the land better with II
in proved implements. A two-hoi
r;a. blow will break more land IN q
tb. than a one-horse pillow, and do I
e. work a great deal better. A weed
- will 90 over. three or four times I
Ia, land in a day that small harr'
will or a single horse pillow siding
' IRON. At the same time the wo
80 will be better done.
We take occasion to say thu
things now, because sometimes m
~. can he made to understand pc
49, while the burden is upon them bet
az than any other time. Hence, II
'ns can impress this point while the
= ficulty Of getting labor and the
'.n pense of cultivating large areas
VIZ felt the more keenly, they may be
VIM duced to make better preparat
next season. Better work few &C
well and get large clear profit
:. let the broad acres grow gr'
hicn MANY of them will make more cl
tacn money in grass than in the or
who that are now growing upon them
tho certainly is better to get $4,000 II
not less than ten acres, as shown
nd Is where in this issue, than to get
reg from 100 acres as many will do
wear. These broad-acre farms
often delusive.-Southern Cultiva
faIfa = arrc wopTu CONSIDER Il