The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1907-01-26
UTILIZATION vs.. CULTIVATION.
Southern Farmers Have lmportant
Questions Pressing For Solution.


Our southern farmers have several
important questions pressing for soiu-
ton, but hardly any of them exceed In
importance this one of utilizing our
tioa says the Southern Cultivator, there
cultiyating every acre. The only reason
we attempt to cultivate SO much area,
10 the idea that we. will make moro
money by SO doing. But with hign
labor and poor yields the profits N
such cultivation are naught. AS our
country and cities increase in ;opuiar
ton, says the Southern Cultivator there
is not only greater demand TO: 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 behooves 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 locar
ton as to market and his taste az 10
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 SO as to give the
greatest net return for the energy ex-
pended II grass win give as much nee
return from a given field as cultiyat-
ing 1t in cotton, why bother with so
much work as the cultivation In cotton
would require? II cattle can gather as
much net return from a ten-acre field
as can a negro working it in cotton
and corn, why not let the cows work
little? II timber grown upon 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 OF cultivation.
Cultivation is well, but only when 1t
can be well 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 800 acres near
Atlanta, and is allowing about 400
acres to grow up In trees. He calls It
Black Forest" and fine lot of trees
he has. He says he figures it this
way: Each tree is worth at least Sc
cents, and my old negro says l have
100000 trees; this win make me
$4,000, 0OO.. This beats raising cotton
don't it," and the colonel gives good
laugh. Now, truly these trees are
valuable and some. day will bring in q
snug sum: and we have NO doubt will
yield greater net return than II the
land was cultivated according to the
average method we now have in use
UP at Rockmart, Georgia, Mr.. T. ]
Jenkin went out and bought a noun
tain, one of thoe pur common NORTH
Georgia. His friends thought he would
perish, but Mr.. Jenkins set this noun
tain, one of those purs common in nortf
north Georgia. His friends thought h
would perish, but Mr.. Jenkins set thii
mountain out in fruit trees and las
year he sold the peaches from foul
acres for $2,226.60. which gave hin
clear profit of $4,000 for his time and
:. labor. In tn meantime Mr.. Jenkins hal
been making a good living from tht
sales of vegetables and Strawberries
grown between these peach trees
These trees were only three years old
Mr.. l. A. Christian down in Claytol
county, Georgia, sold $32 worth Of pea
vine hay per acre, from his land
after cutting. good crop of wheat from
the place
Over at Pendleton, s. c.. we saw
Bermuda that was furnishing all thu
grass on an acre that two cows and {
horse could eat. In fact there wal
more grass on the acre that they coult
not eat than the average pasturag'
produces.
We heard Of a man who had In
acres of land and three acres was II
a swamp which he considered useless
He cleared it up. ditched it out and pu
in ceelry and cleared $500 ON the frs
year, which was more than he ha<
ever made clear on the III. Lool
around you and see II you haven
some unutilized opportunities that will
bring in money besides cultivatini
more cotton