The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-01-26
Y nTuC CAKC CLOTHIER TO THE AOO1O oANOs WHOLE FAMILY.

q
 cotton. have no fight to make on cot ton We need cotton and the south must grow cotton, but let's put it. as well as all these other crops, in a we'll regu- lated rotation of crops, producing not only cotton, but all the necessaries and comforts of home on our cotton farms. it will take some nice management in dividing up this eight or ten million acres of land that Is to be taken from cotton growing and to put it to crops that will pay I have repeatedly stated, and say 1t again, that the foundation of wealth in any country Is grass and stock. Where a foundation is builded on cotton 1t soon washes away.
 Not so when builded upon grass. This forms a foundation that will remain. What is the matter with the dairy busi- ness? Nothing whatever. only the farm CTS of the cotton states are not edu- cated to take care of and milk cows. Quit talking cotton. Come to the farmers institutes and get this education on dairying, or take this paper and read up. We are going to make the dairy ques- tion a prominent feature during the coming year. We have something better to offer In lieu thereof We hear so much talk about truck and fruit farming. The land must be prepared before you can succeed in this, and there is no faster, cheaper plan for preparing your lands for this business than to engage in the dairy business. The dairy industry should precede all others on the farm
 It would be well to turn most all of this ten million acres to grasses. clovers and forage crops and build up the dairy in- drstry which is now offering greater inducements than any other farm in- dustry Grow two crops of COW peas on much of thls land and thus prepare 1t for alfalfa next fall. Buy up all the poor heifer calves that are now to be found running around so poor that they can hardly get up when down. Feed these up and make milk cows of them. am going to advise our readers as to how to divide up their lands taken out of cot ton growing and shall name a full line of profitable crops which they may grow. But I shall tell two little stories now, then close for this time and continue this in ample time 10 meet your wants. How ever, first let me advise you to lose no time in getting out the brush, briars, stumps and stones and fertilze the soil Get 1t ready for the crops which l shall name. The first of these stories is this: The other day I was travelling through heavy timbered country where there Is usually a great crop of mast. Several years ago the farmers in this section concluded that if would be a great saw ing to have hogs to eat this mast so they set to work, bought fine hogs, inn proved the stock, until the country was well stocAed with Poland Chnas and Berkshires. Last season the mast failed. and the high price of cotton caused every available acre of land to be planted to cotton.
 Hogs Starving.
 Now the picture Passing through this section l saw hundreds of fine Berk- shire and Poland China hogs so poor that they could hardly squeal No corn or grain to feed them and no mast in the timber. On the other hand there were fields white with cotton that will never be picked and in all the towns along the line hundreds of bales lying out l in the weather, and the farmers in these i towns holding meetings, passing resolu- | tions reducing the cotton crop or else talking about burning the crop Now some of the crops that l shall recommend | in my system of rotation will be crops that are hog fatteners The other story i is this last year. just about this time, I was trying to hold farmers institute | in a small town out in Texas-a section well adapted for the growing of early potatoes. 1 tried to pursuade the farm CTS at this point to take a car of seed and plant. but cotton was there king and | nothing but cotton would interest them.
 
 potatoes, and when digging time came I got several letters and telegrams ask 1 ing me to send them buyers, that they | had a number cars ready to harvest and ship. I sent several buyers to buy their
 crop, and one of the buyers wrote me that he was able to find only S0o0 pounds | Of potatoes and that he bought these and | run the car to another town to finish out a load.
 Imagine how I was amused the other day in reading an account of how this l same little town tried to get up sen sation by burning bale of cotton The story read this way: That the people or | this town had resolved on burning bale of cotton (to appease the wrath of their
 god, I suppose). The bale was hauleu I'D on the square kindling wood pro
 vided and oil was poured over the bale,
 but no one. present could be pursuaded
 to touch Ter off or apply the torch, and
 while they were trying to get some one
 worked ID to have courage to apply me
 torch a cotton buyer came upon me
 scene, and realizing the situation LOOK
 advantage of the Hull in the proceedings,
 mounted upon the bale and made
 speech In which he condemned the whole
 thing ano invited the crowd over to the
 court house, where resolutions were
 passed to reduce the acreage this year
 50 per cent and to plant large crops or | potatoes and more grain. Such stun or
 proceedings Is like children's play.
 Last year was the year they should have planted potatoes. Such proceedings