Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1908-12-30
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Tig prevailing belief that coitol
4 b. 0Dly money crop for tho soul
Naa almost Lankfupied many Of Oh
people, And H. universal growth 40
~ the ssine soils year In aud yea
ont has ma ferfful drain upoi
hglr for ~ No record Ia Elvef
who're on agricultural people have
n Trltpj he p Oiatiivenoss of lheil
-. ihd tllom elves grown II
j. 81 o.c ono cop system has
cen the rule.
.Nlie oat OF ton mr1 growing cotton
Today viii toll you d. I H. he one
and caly mogaY ciop " ny are hon
, { in HIS cia.mL f'r hay know very
me- OF tho po5s'l iiies OF our soils
N piodrclng o h. COPS. and less
atoui m.l ing. holiag and market.
i,s fry o,her CO,
Fon7 Of or la Ding argiculturists
heve lt-n Advocating liberalization
Of orons for Gee 'af with apparently
little reward Tor heir teachings But
he time is rapidly approaching when
his system will be forced upon us
who her we want It or not. Several
changed corGit.ons are upon Us, which
viii make this me; Lol the only tenable
cae for our farmers. One of the
chief factors In b inging about this
change Is The unsettled and unreliable
G OF or" as. ioyl.aral labor, which
makes 1t utterly impossible to cult
vate or gather cotton as formerly
Another cause for the change is the
sure and rapid impoverishment of our
lads by the constant growth of one
crop on it, This method soon robs our
most fertile soil Of all its human and
vegetable matter, leaving it in condi.
ton to be worked off by the excessive
rains we have at certain seasons.
Besides we are nearing the limit In
available cotton lands in this country,
there being comparatively small areas
to be cleared and brought into culti-
walton, after We have worn out the
soils we already have in cotton. Our
forefathers followed this method too
long for it ever TO be adopted to
great extent by ourselves.
The Boil Weevil a Factor.
While all the above are factors to
be reckoned with, the mosl to be
dreaded, and the one with the most
far-reaching results to our entire
country, is the rapid, unchecked, and
seemingly uncheckable march of the
boil weevil, which is unquestionab'
destined to cover our entire cotton
growing states within the next few
years.
To show that other crops can be
grown from which money can be OBJ
tanned, with less labor, less financial
risk, and with far less drain upon
our initial savings bank-the soil
will be the object of the writer of
this article.
We will start out with the assump-
ton that any crop that can be sue
cessfully grown, and will furnish food
for man or beast is money crop,
consumed on the farm where
grown, or sold to other parties. For |
If we grow all cotton, and buy all |
our foodstuff for man and stock, as a
great number do, 1t is very evident to |
any sensible man that they are all |
money crops to some one, and we
hink this season, Judging from open
ng prices for these articles, the farm.
sr, who has them to buy, will decide
hat they are very much of a money |
crop.
So let's start out in 1909 to grow
we need to feed ourselves
Ind stock, with some to spare, and all
ne cotton we possibly can, after do
ng this. My belief is that we will
lot need warehouse to put it in for
air prices. and that the terrors of the
,oll weevil will be greatly lessened.
We have noted during our thirty
i'd years experience that the man
Who follows this plan is the one thai
e6lS HdIu lllllcos uuOuSy paints, SuOhl |
.rops, etc, with the least degree of
concern.
Many Things for Many Markets.
There is a great number of things
he worlds hungry markets are clam
ring for, which our genial climate
md fertile soils will produce in abun-
lance. The variety is so great that
lone need grow any but those that
,est suits his fancy and surrounding
conditions.
Fruit and truck growing may be
he proper thing for some people and
ocalities, in fact, some sections have
Lbandoned all other farming, and are
becoming Independent by it. Our OBJ
ervation is that very early, and very
,hoice goods in this line always find
ready market at fair prices. One
hing to be considered with favor in
his line of farming it that should the