The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-03-21

cheap. These lands many of them. are well adapted for a large line of fruits. The country in Texas where cheap lands are to be had is more or less subject to drouth, so that taking everything Into consideration 1 believe the fruit anc truck farmer in Alabama and Mississippi can do as we'll as he can anywhere. There are several advantages in these two states, including climate and good water. There are sections in both where there in an abundance of fine water
 But here is another letter pretty much on the same line as the above This Is from reader at Dingler, Ala.
 ''Mr F. S White
 Dear Sir: 1 have just read your New Years greeting and l am so pleased win the sentiments therein that 1 can't refrain from writing you, and thanking you for the timely advice l have received through The Age-Herald from you. 1 want your advice on a few crops that 1 am think ing of planting If you will be so kind as to advise me l will be greatly obliged.
 First, I will tell you where l live 1 am thirty miles south of Anniston, forty miles east of Talladega and twenty-five miles northwest of Roanoke. So you will see that l am very much isolated as regards market. Now l am thinking of taking your advice to quit growing cotton on up- land, and plant instead of corn peas, sweet and Irish potatoes, onions, oats, sugar cane and raise as much hay as 1 can. Now l have about 150O stalks of cane How should l fertilize? The fertilizer to be used is bought and hauled nine miles, How much fertilizer should use for best results and what should it analyze and how much should 1 plant of each? Wc&ld you advise me to buy one of those home aoFa n,,lrf F1s+ advise, am, etc.
 Should Quit Growing Cotton.
 The answer to the first letter will apply also to this one. The main thing in both Is that both these farmers begin to realize that they must quit growing cotton on their rough hill lands or else they will soon have no soil left. The farmers on the small hillside farms should know that they cannot compete in cotton growing with the farmers who own the rich bot tom lands. Grass stock and forage crops are the best crops for the upland farms. and leave cotton growing to the farm CTS who own their rich river bottom lands. Our reader at Dingler has outlined a good line of crops However, l think he should have some live stock, hogs and poultry, to eat up all surplus, and in fact all crops which cannot be sold to good profit Often such crops can be marketed in the form of pork, poultry or butter to a good profit; infact there is no money in growing hay or grain on a small farm for market-better feed it to stock and sell stock In some form.
 Our writer does not say what hay he is to grow, but peas and sorghum make the best of hay. All his surplus potatoes he can feed to stock if the market does not pay him enough for them. The onion crop may not prove profitable invest ment. There is not much to be made out of onion growing unless one is well fixed for the business, understands all the details and knows his market.
 Now as to the question of how much of each of the crops named to plant I can't advise, not knowing the soil, how much help the writer has or what market fa- cilities he has. But I would advise that he plant no more than he can cultivate and handle to best advantage know farmers who went in debt, mortgaging their all for supplies to grow cotton, and now there Is lots of cotton in the field. It costs s1 per hundred pounds to pick it, and 1t is worth only $1.25 per hundred when picked. So there is no economy In growing more crops than one can care for.
 Now as to fertilizer for the cane crop, he should use a fertilizer containing 4 per cent nitrogen, per cent phosphoric acid and 6 per cent potash, using from 600 to 1900 pounds per acre, according to the requirements of the soil. For pota- toes, both sweet and Irish use 200 pounds cotton seed meal, 100 pounds nitrate soda, 300 pounds acid phosphate and 100 pounds muriate potash, using 600 to 1500 pounds