Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1906-12-29
UTILIZATION vs. CULTIVATION,
Southern Farmers Have Important
Questions Pressing For Solution.

our southern farmers have several
important questions pressing for solu.
tion, but hardly any Of them exceed in
Importance this one Of utilizing our
tion says the Southern Cultivator, there
cuitiysting every acre. The only reason
We attempt to cultivate 80 much area.
is the idea that we will make moro
money by so doing But with higa
labor ana poor yields the profits n
such cultivation are naught, AS our
country and cities increase ia popula-
tion, says the Southern Culuvator there
is not only a greater demand 10 food
crops, but also a wider range Of
articles included in this demand.
Everything that can be produced upon
the farm-wood, grass hay, cattle,
hogs, chickens fruit, and dairy pro-
ducts all command as good prices as
corn and cotton. 1t now behooyes every
intelligent farmer to look over his land.
take carefully into consideration the
lay Of his farm as to woodland and
cleared fields, upland and bottom,
rough land and smooth then his loca-
ton as to market and his taste as TO
lines Of industry he would like best to
develop, and then plan, not SO much to
cultivate all his place, but how best TO
develop its resources 80 as to give the
greatest net return for the energy ex-
pended If grass will give as much ne5
return from a given field az cultiyat-
ing it in cotton, why bother with 80
much work as the cultivation In cotton
would require? If cattle can gather as
much net return from a ten-acra field
as can a negro working It In cotton
and corn, why not let the COWS work a
little? II timber grown upon a hill
side will bring in the same net revenue
as the cultivation It is receiving, why
not allow the timber to grow? To our
minds it is clearly time to change our
viewpoint. Think more about utiliza-
ton and not so much o. cultivation.
Cultivation is well, but Only when 1t
can be we'll done. When you begin
seriously to consider this utilizing
plan and begin to put it into execution,
many will be surprised at the results.
Some Instances.
We have a neighbor, Col, Reuben
Arnold, who has 500 acres near
Atlanta, and is allowing about 400
acres to grow up in trees, He calls tt
BLACK Forest" and fine lot Of trees
he has. lie says he figures it this
way: Each tree is worth at least 80
cents, and my old negro says I have
100000 trees; this will make me
S5,005.OOO This beats raising cotton,
don't it?" and the colonel gives a good
laugh Now, truly these trees are
valuable and some day will bring in a
snug sum; and we have no doubt will
yield a greater net return than il the
land was cultivated according to the
average method we now have in use.
Up at Rockmart, Georgia, Mr. 7. J.
Jenkin went out and bought noun
tain, one of thoe pur common n north
Georgia. His friends thought he would
perish, but Mr. jenkins set this noun
tain, one Of those purs common in north
north Georgia, His friends thought he
would perish, but Mr. Jenkins set this
out in fruit trees and last
year he sold the peaches from four
acres for $2.22GG0, which gave him
clear profit Of $4,000 for his time and
abor In tn meantime Mr. Jenkins has
been making a good living from the
sales Of vegetables and strawberries
grown between these peach trees.
These trees were only three years old.
Mr.. /. A. Christian down in Clayton
county, Georgia, sold $32 worth of pea
zine hay per acre, from his land,
lrte. cutting good crop OF wheat from
he place
Over at Pendeton, s c., We saw
Bermuda that was furnishing all the
rrass on an acre that two cows and q
lorse could eat In fact there was
Iore grass on the acre that they could
lot eat than the average pasturage
PRODUCES.
We heard OF a man who had 120
.cres Of land and three acres was in
swamp which he considered useless.
Ie cleared il up, ditched It out and put
n ceelry and cleared $500 on the first
ear, which was more than he had
ver made clear on the III Look
round you and see if YOU haven't
ONE unutilized opportunities that will
ring in money besides cultivatlng
lore cotton.