The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-20
AGRICULTURE.
Agricultural Information.

IneSday, June IN, lett Ut. Louis, max
ing a 3O0-mie trip through the best farm
ing section of the great state of Illinois.
Here l found crops late. and much of
the soil water-soaked. too wet to work.
Corn is very late and small. though the
stand Is good. There Is very little wheat
grown any more In this section of the
state. that Is, the section through which
the Frisco line runs. For some miles out
of St Louis in southern Illinois there Is
grown some winter wheat, which prom
ises a small yield of good quality. Oats
are late and small, yet II Is too early to
predict what may be the outcome OF both
corn and oat crops. With favorable
hot summer and fall, both crops may
make good yields. As we near Chicago,
we come into one OF the greatest truck
farming regions in the world. Here we
pass through hundreds of acres OF fine
truck farms, all in the highest state or
cultivation. Perhaps there Is no other
section In the world whore truck farm
ing is carried on so extensively, or where
the farms are as highly fertilzed and as
well cultivated as they are around Chi
cage Here ii is no uncommon thing to
see fifty-acre fields of such crops as onions
and cabbage, while all other classes OF
vegetables, such as beans, peas, carrots,
beets cucumbers, lettuce, raddish, squash,
spinach and tomatoes, are grown very
extensively These gardens are pretty
sight to see.
Here we see an array of busy workers;
men, women and children, for all the
family has to work in these gardens.
Some are cultivation crops some cleaning
the land of early crops, making 1t ready
for another crop, for the soil must De
kept busy, and as many as three crops
are often grown the same season on the
Same land, others are planting. others
cleaning and packing vegetables Tor the
market. So, taking 1t altogether IL IS
busy life. but the business pays where
it Is we'll managed.
Early wednesday morning, the Goth.
left Chicago and spent the day crossing
the state of Wisconsin. This Is another
great agricultural state, and one IN
rv,hich 7 delight travelling In. Here we
And many valuable object lessons FOR the
student of agriculture One OF the most
Interesting OF these is the dairy NOUS
trv and here we have ample opportunity
to see what grass and the DAIRY COW ca,'
40 FOR a country when given chance.
some years ago Wisconsin was growing
Grain and selling 1t at a DISADVANTAGE.
IIar farmers were in debt and her SOIL
uas becoming exhausted so tho farmers
saw that some change in their iafiIhhs
must come, so they wisely changed 10
grass and live stock giving preference 10
the dairy COW.
Hioh-Class Farming.
uere in Wisconsin we find high class
20 forming intelligence IL needed, ana
n,,,zt he employed In conducting dairy
stock and grass farms. One OF tne most
.,,ccessf,il dairymen Of this country VINO
roc crown from the dairy farm TO one
nf the largest and most successful cream
cries of this country, W. W. Marpie, pres
ident Of the Missouri State Dairy assoe,a-
tion. has this to say for dairyins III 'i'is
country: ..,,,, ,,o,,
sbo,,ld dairy. and none why you shouldn't:
nnairving is a profitable business, ana
YOU get your pay In cash.
.s1,he dairyman leaves his family bet
Tor farm than he got. The grain raiser
don't. ,., "a
"rhe dairyman raises more grain ana
better grain, and gets hiBher price IMAM
anybody. u,,..o-
.You can produce pound OF put.er
"a, as cheap as a pound OF beef. Notice
the difference in prices ,,,
..All current farm expenses. lncludinR
harvest hands, is paid In many places
with cream money and some still left III
the bank A great business.
"A well filled pocketbook, happy anu
contented family and profitable work lot
all the children is the reward onered TOT
going into the dairy business.
"The centrifugal farm separator
changed failure into success for the dairy
man. -,
when you sell butter fat you are SELL
,ng sunshine. When you sell grain you
are selling the fertility Of your soil.
"All dairy countries IRE prosperous. AZ
Will pay you to investigate
Wisconsin farmers fully understand
what these sayings mean for they have
nroven what we'll conducted dairy farms
mean to country. The dairy COW not
only gives a bank account. but she Keeps
,lp the fertility OF the soil at the same
time.
II will be well TO stop here long enough
To give some figures to show what TINS
high class OF farming will do for coun-
try where natural fertilizers are In com
mon use and where but little money Is
Maid for concentrated fertilizers.
A Comparison.
IN one year North Carolina spent for
commercial fertilizers s4,4H,o4o. This was
$40 per farm. 20 cents per acre. She pro-
duced farm products on an average OF
s3es per acre The same year Wisconsin
spent s2s4.S2o for concentrated fertilizers.
or 81 per farm or ! cent per acre. The same
year she produced farm products to the