The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-04-22
Agricultural Department
coNDUcTED BY ru LION $. WHITE.

reads, thinks and acts for himself ex-
pect to gain from such an organization
as is here outlined? There are certain
lines of crops that require organized eff
fort for growing and marketing Where
truck farming, fruit and vegetable crops
are made successful 1t requires some well
organized effort to make such crops
! financial success, and 1t is only through
such organization, cooperation and edu-
cation that this class of farming may be
made a success. l am not opposing Or
ganization, for / have been teaching ali
the time that what our farmers needed
was organization, cooperation and edu-
cation in order that they might better
| their conditions. But it is the abuse Of
our power in such an organization that
| wish to warn against First, we must
become educated to know how to grow
such a line of crops as will keep us on
the market as much of the time as pos
sible. We must learn how to quickly
dispose of all perishable crops. We must
not make perishable crops from the
greater part of our farm operations. We
should try to keep ourselves in as COM
plete control of the market as possible.
We should steer clear of all grafters and
calamity howlers. All farmers organiza-
tons should be strictly for educational
purposes and for mutual benefit to all its
members, and not made a place where
renegade politicians may have an oppor-
tunity to exploit their grievances
We need, first in all organizations. to
teach farmers how to grow crops. how
to maintain the fertility Of the soil, how
to grow big crops without exhausting the
fertility of the soil, and with this kind
of education to begin with 1t will be an
easy matter for the farmer to control
the prices of his crops. With such an
organization much lasting good could be
,nlf uIa 7 In
operation with all movements Of this
kind
Alfalfa.
For some time l have tried to impress
upon our readers the value of alfalfa,
and have urged that If they could only
prepare one acre so as to make alfalfa
success, then, by all means, they should
do this. Recently l have met with many
experiences with alfalfa growing that
fully convince me that I am right in
advocating a more extensive growing of
this wonderful plant. There Is no crop
that is giving such wonderful profits for
| the amount invested as alfalfa is now
| giving In many sections of our country
Last week l met and conversed with
| farmers whose alfalfa crops gave them
| last year from $50 to 800 per acre. What
| other crop have we that will compare
| with this for profits? One of the things
that makes this crop so valuable Is the
fact that the crop is handled almost en-
tirely by machinery. Besides this, field
well set to alfalfa should give good crops
for twelve years, and will do so If prop
erly managed. Many alfalfa crops here
in Oklahoma are ready to cut at this
early date, April 9Th.
However, this Is very unusual to have
hay crops before many crops are planted
This shows the possibility of alfalfa.
W-lle we have sections of country where
the soil is especially adapted for the
growing of alfalfa, yet almost any soil
| that will produce a crop of corn can
be made to grow alfalfa If 1t is proper
ly managed and the right kind of fer
tilizers used. Next week I will give
| a method of alfalfa growing by cultiva-
ton which will often prove a success
where broadcast sowings would fail
Every reader should have copy of my
bulletin on alfalfa growing and this book
may be had for the asking.
Green Bugs.
Since my last article the green bugs
! have spread rapidly over many sections
| of Oklahoma, ,stroying many acres Of
wheat. Farmers are alarmed as they fear
they will destroy the oat crop also. In
| fact, these bugs are now leaving the
wheat and turning their attention to the
| oats. Farmers feel that they are prac-
! tically helpless and all they can do is to
| let the bugs run their course
Weather Conditions.
| When l wrote last the weather was
| dry and hot and farmers had begun to
| fel as If we were to have a dry season,
| but last week the rains came and there
| Is now a promise Of another crop. The
rains were general over Oklahoma which
greatly revived all crops, as well as the
hopes of the farmers. Cotton picking Is
still going on and there are yet many
crops not gathered. In many sections
| farmers are gathering instead of picking
the cotton, pulling Off the whole bolls
hoping In this way to be able to save
a part of the crcp at least. In many
sections the new crop of cotton is COM
| ing up nicely and some fields are ready
/ for cultivation. The demand for farm
| help was never so great. Texas alone
could use 100000 more men on their farms.
The last years crop Of wheat in Okla
| homa Is not all threshed yet for want
| of labor.