The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-11-04

e a. farroers and this year will add tn
49, vrofits of their crops millions Of dol
lars.
Another Question.
Another question: Is is not strange
condition that in view OF these undisputa-
hia Yacts that there are SO many farmers
who will not avail themselves of this
farmers institute educational movement
and. stranger still. when 1t IS all offered
without money and without price But
I am happy to say that conallons along
this line are improving wonderfully and
that INV we have in our meetings ten
farmers to one that we had only few
Years ago. and that now we have more
than ten letters calling for help to the
one we had when we started out not
vet two years ago, on this line.
While this Is most encouraging and
| fiatering, yet we are not satisfied. We
want to reach thousands more, and will
| on this winters course OF lectures.
But this is drifting somewhat away
from the cotton crop. Let us hope that
the weather may continue good, and that
the farmers may get their cotton all saved
in good time and condition, and that they
will store and hold 1t until such time
as they can get profit on the crop If
you can't get 10 cents per pound now,
hold and don't sell until you can, which
will not be very long.
But there is another thought, and I
want to notice and ask what has brought
about this greatly improved condition
and general prosperity in our cotton pro-
ducing states? We may say what we
may about the boil weevil, the influences
of drouth, the floods, all producing or
causing short crops, and give them all due
credit for what they have done to bring
about these improved conditions, yet all
these agencies sink into insgnificanee
when compared with one other agency to
which I wish to call the attention of the
reader. This agency is dlversihcation
What Dvcrsflcatlon Has Done,
Diversification has done more in bring
ing about this prosperity in the cotton
states than all other agencies combined.
This is not a political, but an Industrial
proposition. In proof of this proposition
let me again quote from my friend r.
e. Smith of Sherman, Tex. and use north
Texas as an object lesson, not that l have
any more interest in this section than
l have In any other but the people there
are further advanced along this line of
diversifcation, and what they are doing
every section of the cotton states may
do and can do when they educate them
selves as these north Texas farmers have
done.
Mr.. Smith says that never before in the
history of Texas have the farmers had
so much money stored In the banks, never
before have they been so free from debt
Since the diversification idea began to
take hold of his country conditions have
so wonderfully improved that this year
his state has received the great sum of
So, 100000 as a net profit from their fruit
and vegetable industry, and the greater
part of this great sum reached the farm
ers of Texas before the first day of June.
Let me drop thought here, which is that
the state of Texas could have have as
well had $10.0o0,OOO to her credit from the
same industry If all her farmers had been
organized, and had worked in harmony
together as did the organizations that
brought this $s.5OO,O0O to the state. This
cooperative education idea is what is
needed all along the line.
Great Grain Crop.
But I quote further from my friend
Smith. He says: Following the receipts
from the truck business next came a
great crop of oats and wheat, all of
which brought good prices; and these
grain crops were unusually fine in quail
ity because of having been grown in a
well defined rotation of crops" Mr..
Mr.. Smith says that the farmers of his
section Of Texas have passed diversified
ton, and what they are now practicing
IL rotation, and he says this rotation of
crops has given them this great crop of
small grain and the greatest crop of
corn ever grown in the state; the greatest
crop of hay ever known, more fine fat
cattle, more hogs, sheep and poultry-all
of which help to keep the soil rich-and
that by this system of rotation the north
Texas farmers have this season produced
from half to one and a half bales of cot
ton per acre. Further, when the farmer
came on the market with his cotton he
comes out of debt, and If the prices do not
suit he need not sell.
Along this line let me refer to Colonel
Bonner of Smith county, Texas, who is
now down In Louisiana preaching diver
sification. He said that IN his county
before the farmers took up this diversif-
cation idea they were In debt, and when
they went to town they drove along the
streets with their heads hung down In
their wagons, weighted down with debt
afraid to look up for fear of meeting
some one that they owed ard could not
pay. But he says that since they have
been growing liberia peaches and to-
matoes for shipment they have paid their
debts, bought their wives new dresses,
and now they go to church, and he added
that some of these farmers even have
walked up and introduced their wives To
the minister This is the greatest argu-
ment In favor of diversification-it builds
up society, elevates the home and gives
I. lou,
girls.
DIR. Hartzog, president Of the university
of Arkansas, in his great lecture few
evenings ago in Oklahoma City or
Twentieth Century Education" said
Educate our generation of women ant
the future of Oklahoma society and pros
perity along industrial lines is solved.
This Is equally true of any other section
of our country.
Allow me to again refer to Mr.. Smith
using some extracts from his speech II
our agricultural convention at Oklahoma
City last Saturday, on the subject of al
| falfa-
Alfalfa In Rotation.
| Mr.. Smith says that alfalfa is one o
the crops used In north Texas in tn
great system of rotation. He says tina
this year his alfalfa felds-and he ha
1900 acres In alfalfa-have given him al
average of four tons of hay per acre
which he sold at an average of $lO50 pc
ton. After this yield of hay every acr
which he has harvested for seed ha
given him from $3.50 to $50 per acre ne
for the seed. So here is s45 per acre TO
hay and about an average of s25 per acr
for seed. In addition to this Mr. Smitl
says that his farms are growing rich al
the time under alfalfa growing.
Mr.. Smith went into the details Of pre-
pairing the soil and the sowing Of alfalfa