The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1907-04-19
7. 0. Sandy BeiOrelh he conference for
Education In The South.

! ginia. In few words / VIII give my
!. own experience. started out ON one
Of the poor, worn out farms Of MOTTO
y way county, Va. This land, at that
r time, would not produce more than
/ five bushels Of corn 10 the acre. Wheat
e about six bushels, and glass would
not grow at all. Only the bare fields
lay before me- and if such a thing
were possible, they would have cried
out from utter exhaustion, and like "a
worn out human system, had TO be
built up. had no capital TO invest
b in the improvement OF the soil, but
there was one thing did have, energy,
which, in my opinion, i, greater
blessing than money. Without ener-
gy riches soon take wings and one
finds himself at the starting point ]
own it was a gloomy outlook, but ]
felt something could and must be ac-
complished, and set 10 work with
determination 10 succeed and to find
way to make those fields productive
in other words, to make them turn
green and cease 10 he an eyesore. To
live in the country and have TO gaze
over barren fields winter and summer
is not pleasant occupation, especial
ly when one ma. 10 look for a living
only to that one source wha the land
brings forth. had to find out what
this land needed, and after working,
struggling and experimenting found
it was lime, manure and pure raw
bone, combined with thorough cult
walton.
Cows were bought and put on the
farm, fed a balanced ration, the milk
was run through a separator morning
and night the skinned milk fed 10
calves and pigs and the cream shipped
to cities. Cattle must be kept in order
TO keep farm up TO a high state o.
fertility. My cattle, which are Ilol-
stems, aside from the value OF the
manure made have been a source of
great profit. averaged last year sl25
per COW. The farm under this man
agement soon commenced to pay. I'm
five years / wa, making 10 bushels of
corn and tive tons Of hay TO the acre
This line Of work was kept up, and
now, in twelve years, ! am harvest
ing from IS 10 so bushels OF corn TO the
acre and last year cut from four to five
and a half tons Of hay to the acre.
We all know the necessity ofsimilar
work i'm Eastern Virginia. All ofthis !
land can be utilized in the same way,
and its occupants, by such methods
as / have outlined, improve their
farms, educate their children and lay
by something for a rainy day. Old |
Virginia would blossom and bloom |
like a rose if We only could get our
people to wake up and get out Of the
bottomless rut..
Now we want TO know the pricticalf
method Of doing this. This requires a /
great deal ofthought The way which |
has been adopted i, this. ] have in |
charge twenty Demonstration Farms |
in 40 miles Of my home, Burkeyil.e. |
At each station two Of these are locat- |
ed. ] 90 in person to the farmer and |
make = contract with him 20 cultivate /
acreage i'm corn, grass and potatoes. lie /
is to keep an accurate account Of all |
work done on said land cultivated for ]
each crop, a careful account Of what
is made, showing exactly what each /
bushel Of corn and ton Of hay has cost |
TO be produced. then make arrange /
ments for his fertilizer aud the best /
farm tools TO be used, and do my best /
TO instill in him the intensive rather /
than the extensive system OF farming /
/ encourage the use Of more machine |
nv, more horse power and less lalor, /
more cattle 10 consume the roughage |
and improve the land. In fact ] tell |
them. through the interest ! have I'm |
them. ! am going TO criticize anything |
which i, being done ON their farms |
which is hindrance 10 their welfare |
and to the happiness Of their families.
For instance, one Of my best men was
drawing water by buckets from a 500 |
foot well to supply his dwelling and |
stables and not more than 300 yards /
from his house was one Of the clearest, |
best springs / ever saw, which would |
run hydraulic ram that would throw
water one hundred feet above his
house. We talked it over and he con-
cluded to add that convenience, even
1.-THE did live on farm. here wa
no use { toiliug unnecessarily just be-
cause his forefathers had drawn water
from that 90 foot well.
1t was intended 10y God that we
should move forward and not stand
still. and actually find men who are
working hard 10 20 backward.
have been asked by people aii
over the State 20 conduct Demonstla-
ton fields i'm their midst. They are
perfectly willing TO do anything / ask
and there is no trouble 90 get them tot
take hold Of this work. ! ann having a
meeting Of the farmers at each Dem
onstration station. discuss farm
work and farm life and give them the
privilege to ask questions as 20 along.
All take a part, showing they are I'M
terested.
Now. Ladies and Gentlemen, If ]
can accomplish in my feeble way the
improvement Of these lands in East
ern Virginia, ! Will have gained all
the glory crave
uacafrffonc