The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-18

piece will grow. So he took my advice and sowed the five acres to rye. I was out there again a few weeks ago, and found that his poultry had kept the whole field of rye well eaten down. He was surprised and said that he never knew that chickens were so fond of green pas ture He went on to say how fat his chickens were, and how little grain he had fed them. Now, this is the secret of the success of the western farmer in growing poultry. The country, or most of it in the west, produces abundantly of
 clover and blue grass, and with these grasses and plenty of range and a small allowance of grain, the farmers of the
 west are growing and furnishing the east and south thousands of dollars worth of poultry. If our people or Alabama will
 only provide the green pastuge and range
 We can grow all our own chickens as
 well as other poultry needed. An abund- ance of rye and clover should be sown in
 September so that there will be plenty Of pasture all winter Do not be afraid of sowing too much. for if 1t is not all eaten it is fine for the land. People complain of hard times, and of a great scarcity of feed, and We are constantly buying from abroad food for both man and beast
 Such things as can and should be grown right here at home. Our lands are lying idle for more than half the time. Here
 where we have a climate that will permit of our having something growing on our lands nearly the entire year. We find that even now after so much has been said and written on this subject, that a great per cent. of our lands are lying
 idle, and worse than idle, for they are left bare and subject to wash from the heavy winter rains. We can and should keep something growing on our lands all the time winter and summer. Why lose half tho limo in bp of Ia, T was over in Memphis a few days ago. and talking the matter over with the Business Mans League, ono prominent member said to me, You are in the right position and I hope you will bring in some good farmers from the north who will show our people here how to farm. This ms, me to thinking at once, and the question that suggested itself to me, is why should our people wait for others to come in here
 to show or tell them how 10 rarm7 Why not look around and what is needed,
 and, as our station agent said, throw off your coats and go to work like those peo-
 pie do out west And, if our people in Alabama will do this, we, too, will soon | have fat hogs, cattle, sheep poultry
 grain, fruits and vegetables to sell, ln-
 stead of having so many of these things | to buy. Then, here is another thing in
 regard to this matter, you have already 1 just the advice you need right at home | to help in this work. Now. let me sug- gest here plan; and. I do 1t with the best of intentions and not in a boasting
 way at all. Let every farmer begin the new year by subscribing for the Weekly Age-Herald read and follow the advice we shall try to give you for the year, and If at the end of the year you conclude you have not been greatly benefited, you can call upon me and I will refund to you what you have paid for the paper
 l am anxious to see this great southern dpVplopad
 the west in many lines of agriculture So
 let me help you, and start out on the
 new year determined to do better than
 we have ever done before.