The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1909-07-29
FARMERS INSTITUTES.
A. 6 n. College Men Spend the
Week in Claiborne.

Week in Claiborne.
The farmers institutes held in
Claiborne county last week were
the most profitable ever held here
and our people seemed more inter-
ested than on any former occasion.
There were about thirty farmers to
listen to the conductors at Her
manville; about the same number
at Martin, and nearly a hundred at
Port Gibson.
The conductors were w. L.
Hutchinson, director of the expert
ment station of the A. & M. Col
lege, and Prof. Mclean, head of
the department of animal husband
ry of the same institution. Both are
we'll up in their respective lines
authorities, SO to speak. They spent
practically the whole week in the
county, and while they acknowl-
edged our natural possibilities,
they had no sugar-coated words to
deal out to US. On the contrary,
they were not slow to point out
our short-comings-the bushes,
lack of drainage, spotted crops and
poor stock. And the Reveille is
glad they did. We are progressing
rapidly as a whole, and we have
some few notable examples of
pretty good farming,. but in order
to progress more rapidly we must
know our weak points. Nothing
is stronger than IFS weakest point,
and we want to strengthen these
places. We want to cut down the
bushes, fill up the washes, fertilize
the poor spots, drain the low lands
and, best of all, develop our live
stock.
One of the most noteworthy
things connected with the institutes
is the fact that both conductors
tracked absolutely the suggestions
OF Mr.. Afford, our county commits
sioner. While Mr.. Afford has
been mild and dispassionate in his
writings, yet no one can misunder-
stand the faithful efforts that he
has put forth to improve Claiborne.
Prof. Hutchinson talked Satur-
day about improving the land. He
said he had spent almost a week
in the county and saw more bush
es than he had ever seen; that our
crops were, spotted, showing that
we needed to build up the poor
places. He declared that this
county can double its crops by
attending to these things and
draining the low lands. He said
Jthat the draining could be done be-
tween now and next year without
extra labor or additional cost, by
discarding the spade bitches and
building sloping-bank bitches
with plow and scraper. He said be
honestly believes this county, nat
lurally, is as good as the noted blue
grass section of Kentucky, and all
THAT is needed is for us to go to
work to make it great. That oui
people have plenty of sense, good
climate, and all we need is to start.
That good land will produce al
most anything in this state. Mr.,
Hutchinson made plain the vel
known fact that the three great
needs of our soil are organic mat.
ter, tillage and diversihcation. He
said that many farmers could moi
make crop without one-horse
turning plow. He recommended
the breaking of soil six inches deep
harrow well and firm and you have
a soil that will be good for any,
thing. He ridiculed the idea o
Mississippi farmers having to sene
off to some other state, which cam
raise much at best, for something
to eat. He urged our people tc
live at home and raise cotton as !
lsurplus crop. He said that his ex
Iperienoe taught that one crop Q
peas in corn improved the land e