The leader., 1905-06-07
Profits BY Experience.
PROF. HUTCHINSON WRITES.
Gives His Impressions Of Two State
Farms Visited.

OIVeS his impressions Of Two 1Ldte
Farms Visited.
a few weeks ago Prof. w. T..
Hutchinson of the Experiment
Station at Starkyille, visited the
State farms at Oakley and In Ran
kin county. He has now written
the following interesting letter
giving his impression:
a. & M. College, Miss,
May Is, 1905.
Gov. Jas. K. Yardaman, Chair
man, Board of Control, Jackson,.
Miss.
Dear Sir Referring to my re-
cent visit to the Rankin and Oak
fley farms, | beg to express my
high appreciation of the courtesy
you extended me in thus bringing
me In touch with the farming
Operations of the State. ! was
also much pleased to note the fact
4 that the Board Of Control was dis
posed to inaugurate plans to make
the farms of the State self-sup-
porting instead of growing cotton
exclusively and buying every
/ thing consumed on the farms.
| Ample evidence, both positive
and negative, can be had in all
parts Of the State to show that this
/ change of policy is wise. Our
people, as rule, have tried hard
! for years to show that it paid to
raise cotton and buy mules, feed.
meat and supplies, but they have
failed signally to do so, but, on
the contrary, they piled the eyi-
dence mountain high showing that
such policy is ruinous indeed. In
every part of the State positive
evidence may be had showing that
the best policy is to first make the
farm self-supporting and then, if
you will, raise cotton as sur
plus or money crop. But even at
/ this point, farmer need not and
should not limit himself to cotton
as the sole money crop.
i If they would pursue what ap-
pears to be a rational policy, Mis-
sissippi farmers apparently could
become the richest in the world.
| 1t is possible for the Board of
Control in their operations of the
State farms to show to the far
mers of the State just how this re-
suit may be accomplished, and it
seems to me that you have started
right to accomplish this. We
have, all considered, as good, if
not the best, territory for produc-
! ing cotton to be found in all the
world, and if it be produced as a
surplus crop it doubtless is the
greatest money crop that farmers
may grow anywhere en- the earth.
Grasses and livestock are doubt
less the fundamental things on
which must be based a constantly
successful agriculture. Making a
living or support on the farm
pays better than any other opera
tion.
You have at both the Rankin
and Oakley farms satisfactory and
easy conditions for growing grass
and liye-s stock, while the Oakley
farm appears to afford you the
opportunity to have one of the,
best livestock farms in the whole
country. The foundation for
this is already laid, if the board
will only utilize it. Good pas
ture is the basis of all livestock
farming, and in this State ber-
muda and lespedeza are the main
pasture plants, and they are al
ready at Oakley III great album
dance.
At both places every gulley and
wash should be filled and all roll
ing lands properly rerraced, and
all bottom lands properly ditched
and drained.
You may grow and use to ad
vantage the following crops, viz:
Corn, coWpeas, bermuda, lespe-
deza, vetch, bur clover, sofa beans,
rape, peanuts and potatoes. You
may also grow cotton, wheat, oats
and orchard, trucking and garden
crops.
You may also grow mules,
horses, hogs, cattle and poultry.
You may sell or furnish to your
other farms, mules, horses, grain,
hay, meat, dairy products, fruit,
vegetables, canned goods, eggs
and poultry, and you may also
Isell cotton.
In growing livestock tile best is
usually the most profitable and
the poorest rarely pay the feed
bills.
To succeed in any business one.
must understand it. If one de-
sires to farm without brains on.
the use Of brains he cannot do bet
ter perhaps than to grow cotton
Exclusively. The man who directs
the management of a livestock
farm in detail will surely have
much to do with It's success or
failure. JIG the Board attains sue
cess at Rankin and Oakley they
must realize that those who handle
1.-the details at both farms must
clearly and, as It were. intuitively