The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-01-07
Agricultural Department
CONDUCTED BY FULTON s. WHITE.

LYON s. WHITE.
 growing of early potatoes. strawberries, or cantaloupes, and if they make a failure, they are ready to drop the crop and say that there is no money In such crops. The better plan for all be- ginners in truck farming is to make their truck. fruit and vegetable crops auxiliary to their general farming, and not to de- pend entirely upon carrying all their eggs to market in one basket.
 Money In Potatoes.
 In many of our good farming sections our farmers could make good money by each planting, for instance, from one to ten acres Qf early potatoes, according to the size of the farm and the amount of labor at hand. In this way car lots could be grown and shipped and the money from this crop would come in at a most opportune time. In this way. if the market was low the grower would not be ruined or lose his whole seasons labor.
 Now If the farmers of any community should decide, and this decision should be based on experience, that their soils and climate were best adapted for the grow ing of tomatoes, cabbage, beans, potatoes or any other one crop, then the next thing to do would be to organize an asso- citation for the growing of such crop or GTOpS. AlIeT IDe OTBdnlZdllOU, lnen they should begin to educate themselves in the preparation of the soil for such crops. also in the cultivation, harvesting ship ping and marketing of these crops.
 After the organization comes the CO., operation or the working together in per feet harmony and unity to make their ef- forts a success. The education part is al ways in order and Is needed in every movement. With such perfect organization a Dd with a a amount of education. there is no reason why truck growers in all sections should not succeed. Of course, where any one man Is able to grow, ship mad market car lots of any one crop, such man may not need this organization, as 1t is for growers, whose combined crops go to make up car lots, for, as a rule, il Is only when these crops are grown in large quantities and shipped in carload lots that the business pays. This, then, should be the main object in forming this asso- ciation.
 There are, however. many other advan- tages in forming these associations. such as buying carriers for crops and for buy ing seeds and fertilizers in large quan- titles for soils.
 Our Main Object.
 Space in paper of this kind will not allow of our dwelling too long on any one part of this subject. Our object in writing and presenting a work of this kind at this time is to call the attention of the reader to the many great advan- ages which the south offers for engaging in the business of truck farming. The south has a soil and climate which will permit the growing of very great line Of fruits and vegetables. In fact, no coun- try with greater possibilities for this in- dustry can be found anywhere on the lAlxA fA.. l. f4.... every variety of fruits or vegetables n- dlgenous to the temperate zone, as we'll as large line of varieties that grow in the semi-tropical countries
 In the south where in winter, as well as summer, truck farming may be suc- cessfully carried on the man who wishes to engage in this branch of agriculture and horticulture may have his choice of locations as well as his choice of the crops he wishes to grow. These are a few of the facts which I desire to get before the reader. But there are other very im- pCrtant facts also which should not be overlooked and one of the most impor- tant is the fact that there are sections where several crops may be grown in one season or where farming is almost perpetual. The cotton farmers of the southwest can usually grow a crop of early vegetables and sell this crop from their farms in ample time to grow a crop of cotton, corn or hay. In many sections of the southwest the cotton farmer can grow crop of early potatoes and follow this crop with a crop of cotton, corn or hay, and usually make a better crop of cotton, corn or hay by having had this land in potatoes, while he Is the potato crop ahead.
 Our farmers hardly begin to realize what they are losing by not having a large line of truck crops in their rotation of crops. We desire to assist the farmer with information that will enable him to suc- ceed in the growing of a large line of crops from which he will derive a revenue at all seasons of the year. There are many towns from which there should be shipped annually thousands of dollars worth of vegetables or fruits or both that have never made any effort to in- crease their revenue from this source
 Advantage of Truck Farming.
 Besides the amount of cash that the business brings to a community, truck farming gives employment to large class of boys and girls that could not be used in general crops. The boys and girls can do much, or in fact nearly all the work of gathering and packing the fruits and vegetables, and in doing so, in many well organized truck growing sections. they earn from 50 cents to $1 per day. This trains them for usefulness, as well as making their labor profitable. Besides this there is the educational feature of the business, for when we engage In this high class of farming we are compelled to a higher education, as we cannot succeed unless we keep well informed in all the details of soil improvement, cultivating, harvesting, marketing, etc.
 Tn fact the man who succeeds in truck farming should not only be a farmer but also a merchant. He should know some- thing of chemistry and astronomy, and should be an etymologist, as well as a horticulturlst. Another great advantage in trek farming Is that the soil has to be made and kept up to the very highest state of fertility. as the truck farmer cannot succeed unless his soil is rich. In truck farming there Is always employ ment for all hands on the farm, and the main road to success Is to do the right thing at the right time and in the right way. Work connected with this class of farming will not bear delay. Crops must be gathered just at the right time
 Soil Preparation and Cultivation.
 The matter of soils best suited for the various varieties of crops mentioned will be treated under the heading of each crop, also the best methods of cultivation for each crop will be more fully treated, so that here 1 shall only call the atten- ton of the reader to a few practical facts regarding soils, soil preparation and