The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1908-08-21
NO MORE COTTON
RUDOLPH HERALD.
what He Saysin Prize Article in
RuRAlise.

RuRAkist.
Ny opinion Of q money crop is differ
emit from most farmers of the South.
Most farmers here stick to cotton as
their money crop; mine is feed stuff,
corn, oats, seed rye, hay, field peas,
peanuts and sweet potatoes for hogs.
Now to prove that feed stuff is the sur
est and safest crop for a poor man TO
grow for this country, ] will have 70
give yOu little Of my own history and
experience.
/ came to Leon county, Florida, IL
years ago from one Of the richest agri-
cultural States in the Union-IOwa.
was very poor, but blessed with good
health and ambition. Two prices for
grain, high rent, and cost of lands made
INV prospects to earn and gain home
in the North 80 poor that / came South
with nothing to start with but one team
Of horses, and wife and baby. AS ! had
no money left, mortgaged my team
for advances at the store. / rented land
for so much cotton each year. needed
all the advice / could get from my good
neighbOrs and they were all very kind
and willing to give me plenty of it. 1t
was plant cotton. ! almost hate the
name of it. They said IL was the only
crop you can sell here for cash-money
was what / needed and had to have IL
TO pay my accounts.
So planted cotton, ell could work
with what stock / had. You all remem-
Der ten or eleven years ago when cotton
was selling here at 4 and cents per
pound. l raised cotton two or three
years and got deeper In debt each year
Some said the cause was ! didn't know
how to manage black labor; and that
was true. Anyway stopped cotton
and planted what corn I'cOuld work my
self, also oats and hay in a small way,
doing most of the work myself. The
result was, | made plenty of corn, and
sold enough hay the first year to settle
my store accounts. ] gave up raising
cotton. / have raised grain and hay
ever since and made money on my crops
each year.
My crops have been increased each
year in acreage, as my circumstances
would permit, until now l have about
400 acres in cultivation. own my own
home Of $40 acres, within one mile of
the railroad station 300 acres of 1t Is
in high state Of cultivation / have
1000 young peach trees just coming in
to bearing 400 pear trees, all of the
best varieties have ten good work
mules, and a full set of labor saving
farm machinery, such as steel two
horse turning plows, four-horse gang
riding pillow, one two horse two-rOW
corn planter with check row. ] check
my corn and cultivate it both ways. /
have all kinds Of disc and tooth harrOws.
binder, four mowers, hay rake, two
sweep rakes and an automatic hay
stacker also q little thresher withgas-
cline engine all on trucks.
don't claim that my crops will sell
for more per acre than cotton but /
tell you, here in this country where
lands are 50 plentiful, and the acreage
Of very little consequence, one man can
make more clear money out Of a crop
corn than cotton. With one team he
can pillow, plant, cultivate and gather
seventy FIVE acres of corn all by him
self, and do 1t easier than he could work
ten acres of cotton alone. Now as the
LABOR expense is the same IN these two
crops, excepting one horse less in favor
of the cotton, which would amount for
| feed and rent to not. over 500. Five
bales of cotton. weighing 500 pounds
each, IS considered a good yield here
at 10 cents per pound It would come to
$3.50; $50 bushels of seed at 25 cents
per bushel, $S7.5 full amount for crop
Of ten acres, $2875 so; land rent, $50.
leaving balance Of S267.50.
The two different money crops make
the following money comparison
Ten acres cotton
bales cotton, 2, 500 pounds, at
/ 500 bushels seed at 25 cents. 81 so
$2s7 SO
Less rent for land 20 90
Net for 10 acres cotton .S267 so
We can make twenty bushels of corn
per acre easier here than One-haIf bale
Of cotton, and corn sells for IS cents
per bushel, as often as cotton at 10
cents per pound.
70 acres corn-20 bushels per acre
rs acres, 1900 bushels, at 70
cents 81, 125 90
Rent Of land, $3.50; extra horse
feed and hire, $l00..----- $50 90
Net for rs acres corn. --S 875 90
Net received for cotton ..--.-. 267 80
:. Balance in favor Of corn IS 6O7 so