The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-15

ming for better plowing, better culture
md better seed. Then, if we have
lot yet found the rotation of crops
hat is best suited to our conditions
ma needs, now is a good tine to think
md plan for a different system. This
| especially needed in the cotton belt.
Gar too large an area of each farm is
devoted to cotton and far too small
an area to crops for feeding stock; far
90 much dependence If commercial
| fertilizers and Ear too little attention.
20 the permanent improvement Of the
'oil through sysbnatic farming. Far
too much talk about growing "sup-
olies" and far too little farming with
/ view to make expenses out of other
things, so that cotton can be or49uCed
more cheaply. Why is it that 7 cents
| / pound for cotton means ruin to the
growers? Simply because by far the
greater part Of the land planted in
cotton does not make a quarter of q
bale per arre. when by good farming
IN the South a bale per acre should
be the average crop. the man who
IA kes four or five acres to grow bale
of cotton cannot make cotton at
cents a pound, while the man who
makes q bale or more, and has plenty
cf pea vine hay and corn TO feed stock
IAN have money coming in AL the year
and ca nget on ii cash bass and can
produce his cotton for far less money
than 1.-THE other man. and can make
money even at low price. a low
price for cotton means ruin in the
South, because all the eggs are IN The
one basket, and the farmer is depend.
ing on the cotton TO pay his fertilizer
bills, which are higher because he
bought on tine and his bills with the
merchant. which are larger because
OF the credit system, when if he had
fat stock To sell, he could get indie
pen1ent of the fertilizer manufacture
eT so far as credit with him is con-
cerned, and when his cotton is made
t would belong tc him and not to the
merchant. In the wheat and corn
growing sections of the Middle States
d low price for these is an inconven-
fence to the farmer, it is true. But
the wheat or corn farmer generally
has other things to sell. and the low
price of wheat or corn does not mean
the ruin to him that the low price Of
cotton means in the South. And The
way out of this in the South, viii never
be by putting three-fourths OF the
farm in cotton every year and merely
growing supplies on the other
fourth. When the Southern farmer
realizes that cotton should take but
All equal part of the farm every year
with that devoted TO each other crop
he grows, and that the crops that en-
able him TO pursue a systematic rota-
ton are just as important in their
place IN the building up of the farm az
cotton is, we viii see q different state
Of affairs among the Southern far
mers When more forage is grown,
more stock fed more manure made,
and the fertilizers bought are used
mainly for the increase Of the crops
that enrich the land which need only
cheaper grade, and the production of
the sale crops, it will not take 10000
000 acres to make a 1900, 000-bale
crop, and IL, 0Uh 00O- bale crop GfoNr
on 100000 acres will Mt can ruin
to the growers, even if the price is
lo'Y. In short the great need Of the
cotton belt is systematic farming and
q total abandonment of the present
system of putting out land year after
year t. be nicely cropped With cotton
ty tenants carried by the merchants.
The tenant will be better oft working
FOR wages and the landlord will be
better o If f the land he cannot culti-
vate is allowed TO grow up in grass
and mnwn The hCle of the South is
IN good farming. and there is no mon
oy crop in the land that Will pay
better in good farming than cotton.
while there is none more nearly al
ed to gambling thar cotton as com
monty grown. All over the South far
ners are meeting and signing agree
ments to plant less land in cotton next
year. Will they keep the agreements"
From what we know of human ma
ture. we fear that every man will think
his neighbOr will reduce and he will
reap the benefit, and the result will
lie as much land IN cotton as ever. The
same thing was tried in the low prices
Of 1894, with little result, and until tho
cotton farmer realizes that other crops
have some value other thar rle~ely
supplies" there Will be little chang.