The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-09-10
FORAGE CROPS.

they are called-our farmers are neg
Letting to raise their home supplies,
and especially forage. The necessity
OF devising some way to increase the
supply OF forage is very important
and practical one.
In speaking few days ago to a
we'll known farmer. hesaid that much
could be done to supply forage by
planting for green feed. His plan is
to SOW in the fall one acre each OF
rye, wheat and annual cloverfor this
purpose alone. Then, in the spring,
plant corn every two weeks, OF course
in small quantities, and use the
roasting ears for table use and hogs
principally, and cut up the stalks
(even some ears will not hurt) for
horses, mules and cows He said the
above would give good succession
for use all the summer and into the
fall, and that one thing not to be
forgotten was that all forage should
be cut up before fed to any kind OF
stock.
Farming here should not be con-
fined to the cultivation OF market
crops alone. SO much has been writ
ten and said to farmers about the
necessity OF not combining their work
to the raising OF any one or two
crops that we fear they do not APP
preciate the advice as they should.
1t is an old truth but one that they
would do well to heed.
In North Carolina, because OF our
soil and climate, we can raise practi-
cally everything grown in the whole
country, and yet, not simply the
cities and towns, but the farmers
also are dependent upon other States
for even their supplies that could be
raised here to best advantage.
Many of the farm supplies shipped
into the State can be raised nowhere
else so well as here in North Carolina
if our people would go about it right.
Many farmers have a mistaken idea
that because cotton and tobacco are
called money crops they must plant
only cotton and tobacco. They for
get that other crops could be made
money crops and their cultivation
more profitable than that of tobacco
or cotton. Again in combining them
selves wholly to these crops they place
themselves solely in the hands Of
those who handle and use these
money crops.
If every farmer will deliberately
and intelligently make out list o.
everything in the animal, fowl, vege.
table, grain, forage and other crops
that he can raise Oh his farm and
then go over the list and determine
to raise all the animals, fowls, vege
tables, grain and forage crops that
he can use himself or sell to advan
tage to his neighbOrs or market
town, he will do we'll. And then
plant only SO much tobacco or cot
ton as is necessary to provide a full
years work, he will do the right
thing, for he will, so far as he is per
sonally concerned solve the problem
as to the price of his market crop
With few or no supplies to buy, any
farmer is master of the situation
The advantage of this suggestion is
that while other plans to overcome
low prices of our market crops are
dependent upon corporations
standing together on the part of al
farmers-this is not. The farmer
who proceeds upon this plan protects
himself regardless of what Others
may do. If they persist in raising
large crops of tobacco and keeI
down the prices, then he will reap his
reward in the prices at which he viii
be enabled to sell his animals, fowls
and other supplies to his neighbor'
and market towns.