The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-06-03


fact that the rural districts OF this great
Commonwealth are foreign and only
semi civilized.
| Good men have seen for many years
| what must be the ultimate effect Of this
! lowering Of country life and In their
ynrious ways have tried to hold the best
country clement to the farm Some have
attempted to stny the hosts OF high
bred youth seeking the city by tho cry
of patriotism Another plan Is to give
better educational facilities to the coun-
| try.
4 There is only one effective remedy:
Increase the earning capacity of country
! toiers.
The question arises can It be done,
or must tho conditions continue till tho
final overthrow of FREQ institutions?
How can We increase the earnings OF the
J farm toiler? principally in six ways:
First. BY moro thorough tillage OF
the soil. IN the South by deeper and
more FREQUENT blowing: by rotation OF
crops and the filling OF the soil with
humus. by the planting OF legumes and
turning under the green crop. This
course VIII easily double the average
yield of cotton, corn oats and wheat.
overcome excessive drought or moisture'
ana insure the harvest In adverse seasons.
second. Better farm Observation-Disclosures
age Will remedy the excess OF moisture in
wet weather and tho lack Of moisture in
dry weather, both so deleterious to the
| growing vegetation. s.
Third Tho selection and planting OF
better seed Is one OF the grand teachings
OF progressive agriculture.
Fourth. The use OF economic plants,
peter suited to our particular soil thun
those We arc at present cultlvating, Gun
DC made great aid. For example: Our.
| people persistently plant corn and oats
1or their work STOCK when u ration OF
coWpeas and sorghum, equally nutritious,
could be produced at less than half the
expense. We feed our stock as we pro-
| vide food for our families. without re-
| garl to nutritive value or cost Of pro-
! duction. One Of the large planters OF
Louisiana saved $4,000 In ono year by
substituting leguminous crops. with other
/ cheap foods, for corn and oats, and tho
animals were equally we'll nourlshed.
Fifth; In the reform movement. COM
4 mercial fertilizers, judlclously used. have
1 an important part. Almost as much dam
] age, however, Is done by their indiscrim-
| nate use as by their entire neglect. Prop
erly used, they are q great aid to produc-
4 ton.
Sixth. Tho sixth item of reform and
the ono from which the greatest net gain
Will DO realized. ut the least cost. Is the
chinery upon the farm, A careful In
| qury into tho causes for the farm work.
ers In different States varying so widely
In the values produced will demonstrate
|
horses or mules employed to tho number
OF workers upon the farms.
In Iowa, where each farm worker pro-
duces s6l1.11 annually, exclusive OF stock,
IN Vermont. with an earning capacity OF
J s327S7. two horses per worker were used,
| and In South Carolina, where each farm
worker produced S144.4G, one mule for two
4 laborers was the average farm power.
An analysis Of the Southern stntes shows
| n much smaller use OF power on he farm,
and. consequently, less use of good ma
chInery than in the Northern States, and
n correspondingly lower earning capacity.
Where the South Carolina farmer uses
one mule, Weighing 300 to 900 pounds. and
ono mantle plow.. accomplishing less than
an acre per day from three 70 four inches
| deep, tho Iowa farmer uses at feast three
horses. Weighing from 400 TO 100 pounds
each. and nlows four acres per day SIX
to eight inches deep. 10 uses five md
plishes about eight times the work in n
| day. II depth Of blowing be considered.
What Is true Of blowing Is equally true OF
other lines Of farm work. There he's na
limo Of how to produce largo crops per
acre, but they have not taught tho Inn
| nortance of working more ncres In q day,
This is the key to agricultural reform;
farm and more work Accomplished In n
dav, heavier mules and more Of them
The next Important, item u this ngri-
cultural MplifttnE is tho rn'slns or more
farm stock. II Is noted TINT In Iowa the
value OF farm stock annually marketed Is
SAT- for enoh worker. while IN south Caro-
linn tho value is ST., The value of stock
OF ali kinds. rer farm, IN Iowa, Is $l2l4:F
IN South Carolina. slsi: Alabama. sl62;
Vermont, STAGE. These amounts repre-
sent tho total 1.-Two stock and include
teams, cows, swine. etc,
have outlined tho nmth0ds by which
this can be done, and ! estimate that
there is n possible 500 por cent. increase
In the productive power Of The farm
lnborers OF The average Southern States,
and 7 distribute the gain AS follows: One
hundred ner cent. to rotation OF crops and
better tNlago, 80 per cent 10 seed Of
fully selected: so per cent to the use OF
more economic plants for feeding stock
and the abundant use of leeumes 200 per
cent. to the use Of more and better mules