The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-24
CHANGE IN CROPS
~, xurx xrNsON SEES ALABAMA
 nrVEHsIFICATIoN.
r...,. Acreage Is About The same as Hayvever, Suffered From cool However, suffered From Coal
 Weather.

Tn the opinion of Hon. J. A. Wiikin
 .nr Connnissioner of Agriculture enc Industries, there is a noticeaole s
 position this year on the part ol hama cotton planters to diversity tneiI
 crons and make the farms self-sustain-
 inr Another advance towards scien-
 fife agriculture is to be seen In the
 adoptfon in many sections of the select
 methods of corn-growing.
 The diyersification of crops this year
 is mostly in vegetables. sweet pote-
 toes. peanuts, sugar cane ana tne
 grasses. The Commissioner estlmas
 that the cotton acreage In Aepeme
 this year Is about the same as that ot last year As to the condition of the cotton crop just at this time, he is inclined to. the belief that cotton mas suffered from the recent prolonged cool
 weather.
 In some sections, on account of the great rains and the storms. much cot ton has had to be plowed up and plant ed over. The same applies equally 10 the corn crop. which too, suffered damage at the hands of the storm king When asked yesterday for his general | opinion of crop conditions, the Com missioner said that the cotton area probably was about the same as last | years, but he did not think there was any increase: in fact in some localities | in the state, there is a marked dis" | position on the part of the farmer to make their farm self-sustatning by greater diversity of crops. and that many farmers had increased their | acreage in corn and were increasing
 the per cent of the acreage in the
 smaller crops. such as, vegetables.
 sweet potatoes. peanuts. sugar cane and
 the grasses. - These small crops are being increased l at the expense of the cotton acreage. | When asked as to the condition of the | cotton plant and cotton planting the Commissioner said that in his Judg- ment the cotton plant has not been in
 a healthy condition on account of tho unusual cool weather for the last thir- | ty days. Tn the southern part of the state cotton is doing very well. and 1 since they have had but little rain in J the last two weeks, the condition of the | little plant is fairly good and large l per cent of it has been worked out
 and put to a stand.
 I Tn middle Aiabama the very early | cotton seems to have stood the cool weather and has done better than the
 later planting. Tn some localities. on account of the great rains. and the | storms. much cotton had to be piowed | up and planted over. the same could be
 said also of the corn crop. Tn north Alabama. up to a week ago. planting Il ndQ not BSeu WOrkSQ m many p1dCS~s Tn some sections of the state, on &C.,
 count of too much rain, cotton is very | grassy.
 As to the corn crop. Commissioner | Wilkinson said that there is a general l disposition on the part of the farmers to plant more corn and to make more corn per acre. by improved methods
 and better cultivation and the Commits | sioner continued and said. that the
 acreage in Alabama evidently has in- creased ten to fifteen per cent. and the increase per acre, under new
 methods and a better system. would | be increased from twenty five to fifty per cent per acre. wherever they have | been adopted
 The oat crop is now being harvested
 and is one of the finest made in years. Many farmers are making as much as | fifty and more bushels pew acre. some claiming as high as seventy-five bushels
 The Commissioner also says that hs | is very much gratified to note the dis l position of farmers to give more atten-
 ton to the hay crops. and many people, especially In the lime lands of Alabama.
 are planting and growing very aue-
 cessfully alfalfa. He says in this con-
 nection that he will recommend to
 every farmer in the State to give more
 attention to the hay crop, especially to
 the legunies, and recommends that every farmer should plant his oat lands in COW peas and also sow COW peas in
 all of his fields of corn, as in this way
 lands can be more rapidly built up than in any other.