The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-03-24
AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION.

As stated in my last letter, the object of these articles is to assist our readers in the preparation Of their soils for di- versifed farming, I had taken Lamar county as a text for here the farmers are organizing for the purpose of chang ing their system of farming, and what has or may be said that will help them or meet their wants will also apply to many other sections of not only Alabama, but the south generally
 1 stated in a former paper that 1t would take at least two years for preparing lands for truck and fruit farming before much profit could be expected. This is especially true of lands where cotton growing has been the main crop grown and where the soil has been neglected and allowed to become worn out. While this is true in q general way, yet there are on many farms few favored acres which may with a little care and prepa- ration be made to produce fine crops of fruits and vegetables, and these acres should be utilized to the very best ad- vantage. The growing of fruits and veg etables fpr market should commence on this best soil at the earliest date possl- ible.
 Now that the farmers of the rolling or hill lands of the state have at last de- cided that they must make a change from cotton; that to continue the growing of lcotton will destroy the fertility of the soil, and that unless they change their methods they will soon have no soil upon which any crops may be produced. The question that most concerns such farmers lis, "tos what crops shall plant my llands?'' They hear and read so much on this question of diVersifcation that they may be at a loss to where or how to start in on this system of rotation lsaf r hat d. wise a reduction of the cotton crop and go on to advise the farmres to turn out part of their land and let it remain idle and become rich again. Now this Is sim ply nonsense--foolishness of the very worst lSind--and especially bad advice for the hill farmers of north Alabama, where the land if left uncultivated. would soon grow up to bushes and sawyer briars. Be sides this objection there are many crops which may be grown on these lands which will help to restore and build them up, and it is of these that l shall write about in this series of articles
 Common Sense Needed.
 But the cotton farmer must bear in mind few common sense propositions, one of the first being the fact that he has been years in wearing out and im- poverishing his soil, and that it will take years of patient toll and capital to build up such run down soils. So that the idea of dfverSiiicatlOn ana rotation or crops does not mean immediate prosperity, us soon as the change has been determined upon Neither should the diversihcation idea carry with 1t the idea that we are to cease altogether the growing of cotton, or that when a farmer concludes to quit cotton that he must of necessity com rnence growing friuts, strawberries and vegetables for shipment to northern markets. While there is q demand for and while a certain amount of fruits and vegetables may and can be grown and shipped at profit, the supply is not yet equal to the demand. Yet there are many trops which 1t will be much safer for 4he farmer than for him to risk his all on such perishable crops as fruits and Sexets Dles.
 l have given this matter vast amount of careful consideration and write from serxorzf experience, as well as from a tsozA range of observation, and from 1kz< experience and observation l could se< corfistenfly advise farmers to stake f&edr al on such perishable and uncertain <wope z< strawberries. peaches and many 4sAess nzstch might be mentioned