The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-12-19

Florence. Dec. is.--fepsciAl.> Be
tween the Tennessse River on the
south and the state OF tennessee on
the north. lies remarkable fertile
strip o. land nffy-six miles wide,
This strip OF land IL Lauderdale
Cou4fy. Alabama. Its entire southern
and nQuthwestern portion IL included
u that famous section known as the
Tennessee Valley, but Il remained for
the past decade to make the startling
discovery that the eastern part OF the
county. sths harrens,r : red clay soil.
1itesrfo thought At only to produos
raseF beek hogs and cookie burrs. Isl
~ irwin Gods country unrivaiied In
~ productive possibilities.
This discovery mas caused an In
GREASE Of rs per cent In the value OF
farm land though not more than two
nrths q the county is cleared and un-
About three-fourths Of the county
= owned BY farmers In tracts OF land
varying from 100 to 400 acres, with
fewer MORTGAGES recorded than ever
before In the history OF the county.
Huilding and clearing OF land 10 pro-
Eresstng at very rapid rate. even
81 sections remote from the railroads.
such AZ that between Anderson Creek
and Rogersviile. distance OF seven
miles where eleven farm houses ara
now In course Of construction.
FertfIizntion Prncticed.
The secret OF this rejuvenation Of the
east end has been fertilization which Is
being extensively practieed by the
farmers The red clay soil has been
found to respond more readily than any
other TO scientific use OF commercial
Fertilizer, producing not only magni-
fcent corn and Gotten, but diversity
or crops not possible to the low lands.
This county Is the only one on record
where rape and rye, planted together
on tAe same soil. have been made to-
produce In succession. making fine
pasture The rape. which is OF quicker
growth than the rye, has sprung up
and been converted into hog meat be-
fore the rye Is ready to serve a like
purpose. This valuable discovery was
made by Lee Ashcraft. to whom the
farmers Of Lauderdale County are in
debted for much OF their prosperity.
In 1907 Lauderdaie County produced
1<.aeo bales OF cotton, in 1s0s al
record crop of $4,000 bales was made.
epd 1t Is within very conservative fig-
ures TO say that ten years from now
the average crop viii be 10000 bales.
The average farmer, taking Hester's
report aa . basis. last year planted
three acree Of land to get one baae Of
eotfon n this county many farmers
acre. and Ia some instances two. They |
are eoraing TO Fealize that agriculture |
Is q science and are setting to work to |
learn It. They are no longer content |
70 exc out bare existence which |
comes with third Of q bale OF cotton |
TO the acre.
During the past year more than a.00o
tons OF commercial fertilizers have been |
cold In this county, tor the most part |
with direct reference to the needs of |
the soil. determined by expert examina-
&ion. This was made possible by Lee |
Ashcrhft, former manager OF the Ten |
nessea Valley Fertilizer Company, who
pursued this policy wherever his fer
tllixersN were sold, free OF expense to
the farmer.
Crops are Varied.
Lauderdale County Is a fne corn,
wheat and oat-growing county, though
wheat and oats are not raised as ex-
zensively as they should be. This de- |
feet Ii IN q fair way to be remsdied. |
however. as the wheat acreage this |
winter Is ten times as great as any
previous year.
Corn culture excels here rivaling
king cotton, and Lauderdale claims to
be one of the banner corn counties Of
the South. The acreage IL about equal
" divided between corn and cotton.
and from sixty to seventy-five bushels
20 the acre is not unusual yield.
William Turnkey, Graveily Springs
farmer. established a record twenty
ave years ago which has been the
dream and the despair of the farmers
of that section ever since, but which
has never yet been challenged. Turn
iey's land was naturally fertile and
Just above mis- place ran a mill race,
making it possible for him to irrigate
his fields at need. When harvest time
came. Turnkey was in very much the
fix of the man who put on the pot of
field peas to cook, When they COM
menced to swell. they gradually filled
then pot then the extra vessels about
the kitchen and finally overiiowed into
the back yard. Turnkey was a pru-
dent man, so he called In his neigh
hors to the measuring and had their
testimony to a fraction over 200 BUSH
els to the acre.
What Turnlsv did by nature and a
fortunate chance is possible to ev-
cry farmer in Lauderdale County by
the use of fertilizers and the improv-
ed methods of cultivation.
DR.. J. NJ. Pearson, an extensive
nlanter. made experiments the past
season with the Williamson method
.