The farmer and mechanic., 1909-06-01
MR.. w. S. COBB'S TRUCK FARM AT
LUMBER BRIDGE
(Lumberton Robesonian.) }

A representative of the Robesonian
visited Lumber Bridge Tuesday of last
week and told, in last Thursdays pa
per, about w. S. Cobb's excellent truck
farm at that place. Mr.. j. r. Newlin
Of Alamance county, writes as follows
to the Progressive Farmer of recent
visit to the same farm:
''Messrs. Editors: That which i'm
pressed me most in a recent trip to
Robson county was the magnitude of
the truck farming. 1t was my privi-
1ege, in company with my host Mr.
D. B. Humphrey, to visit the farm of
Mr.. w. S. Cobb. of Lumber Bridge.
found the farm to be beautiful indeed
for situation. The location equipment
and everything connected with it are
nearly ideal. The residence is Just III
the right place on a good road, sur
rounded by broad acres of fertile land
the finest building that the writer
remembers to have seen upon any
farm. We found the force engaged in
manuring and preparing the land for
a patch Of cantaloupes, and sowing
nitrate of soda upon the oats. Mr..
Cobb kindly showed us around the
farm and courteously and patiently
answered my many questions. l asked
how much he would plant of each
crop, amount of fertilizer used, prob
able yield, price, ETC.; and give your
readers the following summary:
Irish potatoes, 10 acres in rows
feet apart, to be planted in cotton be-
tween the rows after the potatoes have
been started Fertilizers per acre, SOC
pounds guano S-5-7; yield and
price under fair conditions, $500 bar
rels, at $3.50 per barrel.
pounds guano, S-5-7; 150 crates
per acre, at 81 per crate.
Watermelons, so acres; coo pounds
guano, 8-5-7; crop expectations, 40
carloads, $3.50 each.
English peas, 80 acres; 600 pounds
guano, S-3-4; ,02o0 baskets, 50
Snap beans, 25 acres; 500 pounds
guano, S-5-7; 1000 baskets, $3.50
each.
Early corn, 20 acres; 600 pounds
guano, S-5-7; 1000 crates, So each.
"Cucumbers, 5 acres; 500 pounds
guano, S-5-7; 1000 baskets, 81
EACH
Cotton, $50 acres; 500 lbs guano,
S-3-4, besides $50 pounds nitrate of
soda per acre; $50 bales.
oats, 40 acres; 40 pounds guano,
8-3-4, nitrate of soda loo pounds
per acre; 1000 bushels.
In addition to this he hopes to
raise 1000 bushels of corn with so
tons of corn stover, and also 10 tons
Of hay (peaVine, | think) on the mel
on land.
Mr.. Cobb works fifteen regular
hands, but in the harvest time en-
ploys anywhere from so to $50. To
give you an idea OF the activities of
their farm, | was told that in the
time of the melon harvest, from two
to six carloads of cantaloupes and
from four to eight carloads Of water
melons were shipped daily.
We found that the farmers bedded
their land for corn and planted be-
tween the beds. the alleged reason for
planting so low being that the corn
VIII not corn planted upon
level, well-prepared seed bed stand
dry weather as Well as if planted low
down?
The ground, was bedded with
one-hOrse plOW for cotton and then
TWO burrows were thrown together
over the middle for the seed bed.
IF it would not be presumptuous
TO make suggestions to the banner
cotton county, l would describe an
Alamance method. We prepare the
land by thoroughly breaking and pull
Verizing with tWo-horse plOWs and
disc harroWs. We then run off the
rows, preferably with a single shovel,
scattering in this furrow the manure
and fertilizer. We then reverse ana
Set an elght-diSc harrow so as to make
a slight ridge. After fastening the
cotton planter to the center of the
narrow frame. We are ready for buS1-
ness. One man drives the harrow
centrally over and alone the running
on furroW, while another holds the
planter. This method saves much Ia