The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-07-25

The article in the July issue from Prof.
J. 3. Newman, taken from the South
ern Farm Magazine, Is right to the point
and worthy the careful attention of every
farmer. This article is the teaching of
every intelligent agriculturalist and agri-
cultural writer Our readers will remem-
Der that | had an article only a short
time ago along the same lines-that of
the small. one-horse farm. The little
mule commonly used on the southern
farm Is too small, too weak to do the
class of work needed In order to prepare
the soil SO as to make farming a success.
l remember only a few years ago how
much fun was made of northern men
who came south and advocated northern
methods In farming. such as big teams,
deep blowing, etc, but now 1t is demon
strated by the experiment stations In
the south that these fellows were right
in their theory. However. this matter of
deep blowing like all other farm opera
lions, must be determined by good com
mon Judgment. We do not mean by deep
blowing that IL to IS inches of the clay
of most soils of this state should be
turned up and exposed to sun and wind,
but that the subsoil pillow should be used
and the subsoil loosened to a depth OF
from 10 to IS inches in the bottom of the
burrows. The depth will depend upon the
condition of the soil and what is wanted
These are matters that each farmer must
determine for himself. In the south where
we have no freeze to loosen up the soil.
1t Is necessary that this work be done by
subsoil plows and plants that penetrate
and loosen up the subsoil.
Plants are Subscribers.
We have many plants that act as SUBJ
sellers. All the clovers, or at least nearly
all or them, the stick pea, and the tomato
vine all have roots which penetrate deep
into the earth and act as subscribers
Where the work of subsoiling is to be
done at all 1t should be done in the fall
so that the burrows may gather and
store up water from the winters rains.
But 1t takes horse or mule power to do
this work and as I stated In a former
paper, no farmer can do the work neces-
sarJ to be done, unless he has something
to do 1t with. He must have better teams
and iced these teams so that they NAV
be able to do the work needed
had an opportunity to see a practical
demonstration Of this last week. when a
manufacturer of a fine subsoil pillow.
brought his plow to one of our farmers
meetings to show to the farmers present
what good blowing was. The pillow was
all right but the team we had to pull Ii.
common cotton farm team proved en-
tirely too light for the work Good teams
and good feed and good care will do the
work, and as Prof. Newman says we must
get clear Of the little mule and scooter
plow. These may be used In some in
stances on rough farms or In the Guilt
walton Of crops after the soil has been
prepared, but as a rule they are poor
farm property.
In recent paper I showed what the
railroads were doing In dispensing with
their old engines and how they were now
making one engine do what three or more
would hardly have done few years ago.
This same line of progress is carried on
along all lines, and must reach the farms
as well as other lines of business These
determinations will have to be brought
about, largely by doing away with the
present credit and rent system of farm
ing as now carried on In many sections
of the south. The improved farm imple-
ments have been provided. and 1t is now
up to the farmer to say II he will take
advantage of of the situation and use
them.
About the Labor Question.