Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1906-06-22

| NA9S AASA LII tOu VI 1d1AlSNlllC OAi
OF the most successful and practica
farmers in the state furnishes the fol
lowing excellent articles on diversi
heation and rotation. They are vel
worth a careful perusal by all:
"Diversifcation Ask the first far
mer You meet what is diversifcation
1t is dollars to dimes he can't tell
Editors who have undertaken to pull
the farmers out of holes are 10 blame
Diversity, they say; then they will
with the next breath say that diver.
shication and rotation are the saliva
ton of the farmer, and doubt if
one could give an intelligent answer.
Dlversltication means a division OF
crops. We piney woods farmers are
diversified farmers. Probably we do
not 90 far enough with the division
that is, we do not divide up the crops
ass equally as we should. To be a
diversified farmer in every sense the
word implies we should divide our
crops some thing like this: Twenty
acres is enough for any one man,
maybe twice enough. Plant FIVE to
cotton, five to corn, FIVE to oats to be
followed by five to peas and five acres
to be planted to cane, irish and sweet
potatoes, garden, orchard etc. For
me, twenty acres is too much, I pre-
Ter twelve, and am fool enough to try
my hand with twelve next year divid-
ed as follows: Three acres to cotton.
three to corn, three to oats to be fol-
lowed by peas, and three acres for
sugar cane, sweet potatoes, irish po-
tatoes, melons and orchard That is
dlversification, it means division Of
crops divided if you please.
Rotation-You need not talk to
any but diversified farmers about ro-
tatlon for no ether can rotate. Rota-
ton follows or goes with diversified
ton. We diversity to make farming
protitable-to keep from putting all
your eggs in one basket, and we ro4
tate to keep up the fertility Of the soil.
We Will take a wheel; place four
cards on it. On the first we will write
cotton, on the second corn, on tie
third oats and on the fourth truck.
We begin to turn the wheel at cot
ton; when the wheel is turned one
II
fourth around we arrive at corn, and
we have rolled the wheel over one
time We arrive at the card labeled
cotton where we began. These cards
as you see, do not lose their place on
the wheel; each one represents a veal
and a turn of wheel represents fol-
years. This represents a four yeaf
system Of rotation. In France the
farmers practiea- a fa,,.,- -.-------. '---=-
OF rotation, but one year the land re-
mains fallow, that is, it grows up to
weeds and is not cultivated at all.
Here in the South, a three years sys-
tenn of rotation is more practicable.
Corn, oats and cotton. The farmer
with fifteen acres would run it thus;
one third of each Of the three crops
named and each to occupy the land
one year in three"
Mr.. Herrington's article is plain
and to the point. He is gifted with
the faculty of making himself un-
derstood. He don't say whether t:le
pea crop should be cut or turned I'M
der. Conditions would likely settle
this question. If the soil was in need
of the replenishing power Of the peas
they could be turned under, otherwise
the crop could be harvested, making
four from the land in three years.
The U. S. Governmnt's acceptance
of Gulfport harbor together with the
refunding to Capt. Jones of $150,000,
a portion of what has been expended
upon It's construction, means a great
deal to Mississippi. 1t means in the
first place that we have two recog-
uized deep water harbors on our coast
line, Pascagoula having been so rec
ognized for years and the subject Of
fairly liberal appropriations at the
hands of Uncle Sam for improvement
and maintenance. It means that In
the future years of great business
prosperity brought about by the coa-
struction Of the Panama canal and the
detection of trade through southern
ports, Mississippi will have two for
the handling of this business instead
Of one. 1t means that in our coast
line there will be more than one large
commercial center and other benefits
too numerous to mention.
Poplarville is engaged in building a
large college for the higher education
Of the youth Of that section. Ground
has been purchased and plans are be-
ing made for a main building to cost
not less than $4,000. The cause of
education is being looked after prop
erly by our brethren of the pine
woods.
Lexington has irganized and put
into working order one of those town
and community building organizations
known as a building and loan asso-
citation. A number Of the best and
most enterprising citizens of that ex-
cellent town are interested in the pro-
ject and its success is assured. There
becoming a homecoming state and
the work done by local building and
loan associations is highly commend
able. -.
for law and order. and In keeping