The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-12-16
AGRICULTURAL.
BY FULTON s. WHITE.

About two weeks ago I started on
trip for South Texas and Mexico. The
people along down the line in the Indian
Territory and North Texas heard of my
coming, and so they would have me stop
Off along the way and address the old
associations and organize new ones. On
this trip I found that the diversihcation
interest Is no longer confined to the
towns and farms near the railroads, but
that it is spreading out into the country
and has reached many of the interior
towns and so 1 am frequently called
upon to go for miles out into the coun-
try to hold these agricultural meetings
This was the case on the last trip of
mine southwest.
On this same trip l stopped to hold
a meeting with the association at Ant
lers, |. T. Here a summing up OF the
past seasons business was a part of the
proceedings. The result has been SO sat
isfactory that the association is 1nereas-
ing their acreage and membership at
each meeting At this meeting President
Nash who Is not a farmer proper, out
physician, made a report on an expert
ment which he made with one acre of
land. He said that he first planted the
acre to early Irish potatoes; dug and
sold 80 bushels besides what was used
at home; planted the land to sweet po-
tatoes, dug and sold 265 bushels; volun-
teer Irish potatoes came up on the land
among the sweet potatoes. After these
crops were all harvested the acre was
sown to turnips and now has on 1t a
fine crop of turnips. The doctor said
he had received so fa- a clear net profit
- besides the DOfa-
toes used in the home and the turnip
| crop now growing This is the correct
| idea of diversihcation.
Alabama.
We find men in all sections, few men,
who have done as well as has DIR. Nash.
During our recent meetings at Jasper,
Ala, we were invited to homes where
there was an abundance of the COM
forts OF life and these all grown right at
home In Alabama soil, and was furnish
ing object lessons of what can be DONE
The owners of these homes are getting
from their farms great and profitable re-
turns. One OF our great seed houses
showed me an order for seed which they
had Just received am booked from one
association in Alabama, which was made
up as follows: One hundred and Eighty
seven bushels onion sets, 760 bushels ear
ly seed Irish potatoes, 424 bushels early
peas, 578 bushels of seed beans.
Now let the reader figure out what this
means In acreage-what in means in la
Dor, and how much employment and rev.
enue it will bring to women, girls and
boys who would otherwise have nothing
to do at the season when these crops
are marketed. Further figure out the
ready cash that thu crops from these
seed will bring in, basing your estimate
on what the same line of crops brought
to this same association the past season,
and then remember too thai this cash
ali came in early in the season, in May
and June, when money was most needed.
But there Is still another thought In
connection with this. which is that the
lands on which this association produced
their big yield of these early crops of
onions, potatoes, peas and beans was
planted to cotton or corn, and has given
the best crops of these of any lands in
the state. Some of these lands, after
having produced paying crops of these
early vegetables, have produced from
one to one and half bales
of cotton per acre. Row what we need
In Alabama is more such associations.
Associations like this one scattered all
through the state would soon put Ala
bama in the lead of all others in the
diversifcation list.