The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1905-08-12
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE IDEAL FARM.
IL II Based Upon Keeping Cattle
and Thereby Adding to the
Fertility of the Soil.

II is with great pleasure that I
boast of being one Of many of your
interested readers. | enjoy so much
your very many valuable pieces in re-
gard to farming, especially those in re-
gard to hay crops. deep blowing, and
your argument against all-cotton prac-
tice. I am deeply interested in the
and he can not but fail in planting
all cotton, and thereby be forced to
buy all he eats and food for his stock.
Nine-tenths of the farmers are twelve
months behind financially. When they
begin their farm in the spring they
open their liens. l wonder If the farm
ers ever counted the cost OF preparing,
planting, cultivating, gathering and
marketing say ten acres of cotton IL
they would sit down and count the
cost, everything attached to this ten
acres, they would find 1: took more to
raise cotton than some claim. The
farmer needs to raise his own stock
food and some to sell; his own meat
and bread and for his hands; plant
not over eight acres to the mule in
cotton, and prepare and fertilize 1t
well. Now what the southern farmer
needs is more cows. He should have
ut least three to five cows to every
horse farm ne has, thereby securing
his own fertilizer, which is far better
than all the guano he can buy and at
much less cost. The farmer does not
prepare his land well enough. We often
hear farmers say: 81 can not make
wheat and oats, and there is no use
to SOW" Now, Mr.. Editor, IL the
farmer would select good land for
grain and prepare it as well as he does
for cotton and fertilize as well, you
know his results would be quite diff
ferent. The majority of the farmers
go In the fall and select their poorest
land for grain. and land that is too
rough to work In cotton, and then
complain because they can not make
grain; why, they should not expect to
make any.
Mr.. Editor, I have a place of 2S4
acres of good clay land, the major por-
ton of which Is above the average. 1t
is considered fine grain place with
good pastures. / have been thinking
for some time and planning how l
could keep at least 20 or 25 head of
cows, so that might be able to fer
tilize say Is acres well. Then in five
years l could fertilize Is acres, then
start over again. | propose, II posi-
bile, TO undertake this plan: Plant 8
or 10 acres in cotton, and acres in
corn to the mule, and put lot in
grain. Now ! know / can not get this
land enriched at once, but IL | follow
the plan above, every acre l have in
Nrain, sow to peas and manure as
above stated, in ten years will have
an ideal farm. We farmers in this
section are endeavoring to start up
cheese factory. This will allow me to
keep Is or more milk cows without
cost, for with milk at ten cents per
gallon, a COW giving two gallons day
for ten months will pay for the cow
and feed in one year. Then, Mr.. Ed
increase, and also the droppings for
one year with but little cost. l am en-
deavoring to plan not for to-day. but
for years to come. A farm built up
with farm-yard manure is far better
than one with chemicals which hardly
last until the crop is made. The plot
of land well applied with droppings
from cows does good for years to come.
as we well know. Should I supply
myself with say IS or 20 head of
cows, then prepare and manure well
a few acres and plant alfalfa, cane,
and sow let of peas, the cost of feed
ing these cows will be reduced to a
minimum. / assert a farmer can raise
his feed. or most of his feed, and feed
his cows at cost Of not over five
cents day. What say you? Should
this COW make two gallons Of milk per
day at ten cents per gallon, | would
then realize a profit Of Is cents per
day per COW, or $3.50 per month. which
is $45 above feed for ten months.
What we southern farmers need Is
more cows, more peas, grain. more
stock feed; thus by having these We
will most assuredly have richer lands.
I was deeply interested in your edi-
torial in last issue on Agricultural
Education" 1t voices my sentiments
exactly We all know the majority
of the farmers of to-day receive their
education in the common schools, and
that being the case. they should be
taught agriculture. How many of our
farmers know anything of the nature
of the soil they work?-Cor. Southern