The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-12-24
Agricultural Department
CONDUCTED sY FULTON 8. WHITE.

LlON .. WHIIsa
 1 that has ever been worked upon the 1 Texas farmers.
 Good Seed Scarce.
 True, there are honest men In the seed
 business, and some good seed win be l shipped into the state. But the trouble
 is there is not near enough of this good
 seed to go around. Now we have men in Alabama, like MT. Spruel of Leeds, MT. 1 Scott of Montgomery, and others whom 1 l can name, who make a business of se l lecting their cotton seed and who grow I only the very best varieties. Now if the 1 Texas farmer could send to Alabama and l buy seed from these men they would be treated fairly and honestly. and they
 would no doubt be greatly benefited by i the change, but the question is how much 1 seed have these growers to ship? Are l they not so well known at home that 1t requires their seed to supply their local l trade? There is no doubt that in all the
 southern states there are growers of pure l cotton seed. but the question is how
 much of this seed have they to spare to l ship away in ear load lots? Then again,
 is 1t not fact that all kinds of seed will l be gathered up and shipped here. or in
 other words. will not dishonest dealers
 take advantage of the situation and send 1 here just any and everything that can be 1 gathered up? These are matters for 1 farmers to look well after
 No Use to Send Away.
 | Then again, why should a Texas farmer
 or any other farmer have to send abroad
 for early varieties of cotton seed Why
 not produce them at home? This can be
 easily done by planting early and cultvat- l ing thoroughly. Then go over the fields early, select and save seed only from the l first well matured bolls. Follow this sys- 1 tenn of saving your seed and you can
 have the best of seed always right at | home, and no need to buy seed only in 1 case of securing new varieties I repeat I that I have very little faith in this new
 early seed movement, nor do I expect to
 see much relief result from it. Every 1 farmer who is now thinking of increasing
 his acreage of cotton in Texas next year l should send to the A. and M college and secure a chart showing the affected seo- 1 tions. and also showing the rapidity with which this pest has moved, and then after , careful study of this chart ask himself 1 the one great question, Gan I longer afford to carry all my eggs to market in i one basket, and in cotton basket at 1 that?" I regard the advance in the price l of cotton as one of the worst things that could have befallen the southern farm | CTS. Is it the cotton farmer of the | south who is the most prosperous and
 who has the most comforts of life. has
 less debts. and the best improved lands 1 stock and homes, or is it his neighbor
 who is engaged in diversified farming?
 The Real Objections.
 | Now what I have said of Texas will
 apply equally as well for our readers in
 other states, only the boil weev may not
 have reached you yet. Now as I have re- l peatedly stated, I am not fighting the | of uvb | grown, for the world needs cotton as well 1 as stock and grain. but it Is the growing l of this crop to the neglect of everything
 else and also the methods by which 1t | is grown,w wearing out the lands in the
 cultivation of the crop. These are the
 things at I object to. And I might add l here a. the plan of trying to longer i grow cotton in the boil weevil sections l Now I have expressed my opinions and given my prophecies freely. as every | American citizen has a right to do, and I time only will show whether or not I am l correct. I write this through no selfish | motive. for have a deep interest in see- | ing this pest stamped out, and in seeing | cotton grown and grown only in regular rotation of crops, where it will pay far
 more than ever before, and at the same
 time not be exhaustfng or wearing out | our lands. This Is possible. but possible | only under scientific and changed meth | ods of farming To do this means educa- ton, thought. energy. action and conf dence. Our farmers need to have more
 confidence in their country, more conh-
 dence in themselves and then back this | with energy.
 | Christmas Time.
 l Yes, Christmas time is here again, and l I realize that this is the last article of
 the year that I shall be permitted to write. My last years Christmas greeting
 to our readers was sent from the north,
 where the earth was all covered with l snow and old winter was reigning su-
 preme. This year send you my Christ
 mas greeting from a land of flowers,
 where the roses are blooming and the
 weather is simply grand Yes, here in | beautiful Houston the roses are blooming i away yet in the open yards and the veg
 etable gardens are green. Yes it is from | this land of flowers that ] send this loving
 message, a hope that all of our readers may have the best Christmas of their ! lives. I would ask the reader to go with
 me back through the year that has l passed and let us examine our record
 and see and ask ourselves the question: l s4tf- 4t-, arII faI 1,xy