Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-06-26

(Extract from Pamphlet by Roland
Stone and published by Union Farmer
Publishing Company, Birmingham,
Ala.)
| The Cost of Production.
The business farmer-and all farm
ers must use good business methods
to succeed-has many things to con-
slider. First of all is his cost Of crops
of every kind. He should know to a
dollar what 1t costs per acre to secure
a harvest from every acre he plants.
If ground does not pay for planting
20 one crop he may try another, and
| IL the soil will not pay for working
why work it? Why buy fertilizer and
seed and throw away labor?
Let it go to grass; blue grass clo-
yer, cow peas or any other forage
crop that only requires seeding and
harvesting. Pasture 1t, even If 1t is
only a. quarter or half an acre or
more. You can stake out a horse,
mule or COW and while they get
something out of it the droppings will
enrich the soil to some extent, but
don't waste the labor of cultivation
on it, put In the time with an extra
working Of some crop on good land.
Don't plow and SOW ten or twenty
acres just because it's all in one field;
some of 1t Is not worth plowing this
year. You may bring it up again by
the right treatment and in a few
years 1 have seen land that would not
grow thirty bushels Of corn to the
acre brought to the stage in three
seasons of judicious handling.
Do not think it necessary to plow,
fertilize and seed ten acres out of
which only seven is worth cultivating.
You know where the lean patches are
the weeds of last season would
show you If you did not know the
land.
Remember that IL all your acres
produced from one-half to a bale per
acre-and the same was true all over
the belt you would have cotton to
burn-not to sell. The world can not
take it, has no use for it. OF nor
NAL worlds demand Of 20,000,000 the
cotton states can find q profitable mar
ket for about 100000. Any more
than that is a menace to the price.
TwO-thirds Of last years acreage,
should produce more than the full
market supply in favorable seasons.
You ought to calculate that the sea-
son will be favorable or else court
overproduction, and if 1t is not, and
the crop falls below expectations the
price per pound will average higher
and your net profits will be practical
ly the same as on a normal crop.
You can not grow big crops and
get big prices one year in ten. Nine
chances to one against you. What
sort Of business risk is that?
The best grade of seed is the only
kind worth planting.
The best grade of fertilizer is the
one to use.
The best horses and mules cost no
more to feed than the inferior sort
and will do more work.
| Ic DSSl OIL ioboi
ers and money makers. Figure on
the selling value of everything you
| buy, should you desire to dispose Of
| it after a seasons use. The difference
in cost between the best and the poor
est is not so much, and cheap imple-
ments, vehicles, harness, etc, are
dear at any price-false economy.
Thorough cultivation always pays
Each of these points is an element
in controlling the cost Of farm pro-
duction.
Maximum production at minimum
cost is the yearly problem Of the
farmer, and the solution-other
things being equal-will be found in
thorough, frequent cultivation. Labor
is the item that counts.
| You must get the utmost return
from your investment of money and
labor to prevent loss in seasons Of ex-
cessive production and consequent
reduction in prices. If you are fortu-
nate enough to secure a bountiful
crop and extra market prices during
any season. that is the time for put
ting by a sinking fund, for you know
| 1t Is not likely to happen again In
years.
| Don't squander your dividends; es-
| tablish q surplus, as your banker
does-if he is wise.
Fifteen-Cent Cotton.
Perhaps you think 1 have been a
long time reaching a discussion OF
the subject that suggested the title Of
this booklet. Well, you have to grow
your crop before you can market it
unless you are a cotton exchange
farmer, whose plantation Is i'm Wall
street or Liverpool.
1t has taken number of pages to
warn you against the methods and
practices which have combined to
prevent the grower from getting a
fair price for his crop for generations
past; those features which are under
his control and for which he is re-
sponsible.
| 1t is plain to me, and 1 trust will be
to the reader by this time. that there
Is enough good cotton land in the
cotton states to produce all the
worlds markets can absorb, and
enough that is not so gOOd-now plant
ed-to render the south independent
of outside sources Of food supplies
for man and beast-if properly
cropped.
The starting point is with the grow
er himself-sensible production. No
better or quicker way to settle the
question than for each farmer to ap-
point himself a committee of one,
with power to act, and cut his own
acreage and recast his crop on self
sustaining basis. He can not con-
troll others, but he can control his
own actions.
If he is independent Of the factor
and money lender, he is in position to
cooperate with his neighbors, the
growers Of his county and state, in an
intelligent marketing plan.
Not even the largest planter or
| 10 nlo in the