The Colfax chronicle., 1904-09-24

, - -
: we would 1ile to havs description
g your individual farm. its size, cul-
sure. yield, ETC., year after year. A
the interest in your teaching is grow
1ng. some insist that it Is only theory,
while others are proving 1t by practice
Tel US how you do, what you make
and how many failures you have. In
actual experience. We would be glad
to have you come to south Georgia
during the present summer this month
and see how we do and also tell us
how to do better. O.sV.F.
IN answer to the above request, the
editor desires to say that he was born
and raised upon poor farm In Coweta
county, Georgia. His father was q good
physician, but-not a success ,as farm
er. Owing to the death, OF his mother
and the Ill health of his father, he
came into charge of the farm when he
was about IA years old. The land was
poor, the stock poor, and many debts
had accumulated, and the crib and
smokehouse were empty when he took
charge. BY dint of extraordinary labor.
by himself and younger brother, the
1mokehonse and the cribs were filled,
the debts paid, the stock fattened and
the farm put in good fix, for those
days. BY hard work and borrowing
little money, he managed to graduate
at Emory college in 1855 In the mean
time his health had been wrecked by
the measles, and has remained wreck
to this day. Leaving school, he start
ed again to teaching and farming. III
health soon compelled the abandon
ment Of the! schoolroom- He then gave
more attention to farming. but took on
merchandise as a side ISSUE His busi-
ness grew and his farming grew. He
made money at both, especially ON the
tarm. But owing to too much credit;
he was wrecked and ruined financially
by the panic Of ,73. Having lost all,
he made ground Start with q one
horse farm. Like others, he met with
successes and reverses He often spread
out too much and undertook more than
he was capable of managing. and some
times ran a. many as 40 plows and fed
as many - $50 negroes. M sl
After some years. becaming con-
vinced that this was not the best plan
to farm upon, he. cut his farm down
to 40 acres. On this 40 acres, with
three plows, he commenced and pur-
sued an. experiment farm OF his own
Here he began his experiments in high
er and better farming, beginning with
deeper and more thorough plowing.
He abandoned ditching and adopted
terracing. He adopted deeper plowing
and shallow cultivation - the main
line of his new plans. He often broke
lils lAnd frUn1-18 toz1e 1ncl1es dep. By
ye4rs Of patient and" industrious at !
tention to the development'of new and
better plans. and ~ reading everything
that he could find on the subject Of i'm
proved methods Of agriculture, he slow
" but surely learned the lessons that
he Is now. trying to teach. There Is
no form Of farm labor, from the weed
Ing noe to the. self-binder, with which !
be has not done his full share with hisd
own hands.
The farms which at the beginning of
these experiments would yield about
ten, bushels of corn per acre and one-|
fourth bale of cottons were made to
yield from 70 to 80 bushels Of corn, and
from two to three bales Of cotton, S0l
to 40 bushels of wheat. rs to 100 bush
els OF oats, 500 to 1000 bushels of tur.
nips, and other crops In properties
The land was made tospay It's way - |
working out all these improvemsnts. |
The farm always paid . profit on the |
labor. fertilizer and other expenses
8 Before leaving his farm he thorough-
b Vested the practicdhflity Of the re-
forms which ne Is nov advocating. fIe |
some Of the possibilities Of the |
earth, when properly cultivated. to
Yield profitable and bcuntiful er,ps. Sol
Dur readers need not think that thay9
are reading after book worm ura
book farmer.
The editor is abundantly willing
nay. anxious Ito have every theory |
that he advocates put to the severest |
test of experimentation, ~ Il does
not stand this test, let 1t 81 10 taar-
" loves farm life. and firmly bendF@ |
that farming Is the most honorable eud |
can Be- made the most profitable pro-
lessiou. 50 1ellow-farmers. let Us ell |
pull toesther Southern Csfftivatnr.