The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-11-23
three miles from Garner VOL,

three miles from Garner, WAX
ty. He was a tenant and on "a ooUa.
ca lana operated a three-horsa 80
SeVera years were devoted to aim
study Of farm work and mar u,1Sent
TO thoroughness in details as g, ana
the big things on the farm IS
years were suffered, a panic n I1F1
In 1895 he removed two miles $50
or Raleigh, where he used four bon11Ul
on a two horse farm, one or -
hobbies being to have twice ae MS
horses as he appeared to need ~
began to farm for himself. in 1SoQ 'ie
In those less na1cyon bur No
happy days, Mr.. Simpkins was . mot
noted truck planter in the vicini-r.
raleigh. He grew truck princirour
for the local market, where he ba5
the largest trade ever enioyed -
q trucker on this mart. He had soonrt
q few years in getting his land rioh
n believing that the first essar+;a;
thing was to secure the best seed tra
soil and the seed improved togetha~
Year after ear he took the first IVA.
miums on truck crops at the E1rth
Carolina State Fair, first prizes betn9
awarded him for five CONSECUTIVE
years.
Origin of Simpkins' Prolific.
The success in growing truck at
tending Mr.. Simpkins' efforts. the CON
stantly increasing demand for the nro-
duct Of his farm, and the winning Of
first prizes year after year in cOmnefi-
ton with some of the leading truck
growers Of the South, ENCOURAGED him
to undertake the Improvement of cot
ton seed, seeing that selection and
breeding in the course of a few
years would produce a superior seed.
It seemed strange that no one had
- - ~E~-
the boil Weevil invasion no greater
boon could be brought to the Southern
planter. Mr.. Simpkins saw the posi-
bility of growing a cotton crop in a1-
dltiOn to his truck on the same land
the same year, provided his rows were
wide n he could get an early variety.
In 1899 he purchased the best cot
ton e obtainable and planted them.
He anticipated the earlier maturity Of
some Of the stalks and was happy to
find two stalks that fruited and ma
tured at least two weeks earlier than
the surrounding ones. These two
stalks were the best developed in
form, the seed were f~nger-picked ana
they were h nucleus of hundreds Of
car loads Of Simpkins' Prolific Cotton
Seed, shipped throughout the entire
South from Raleigh every year. Tor
five years Mr.. SimplSins tested in diff
ferent soils thoroughly the seed from
the two original stalks. They were
not only planted in different types Of
soil, but under different conditions, al
ways demonstrating not alone their
superiority but rre-eminent value. EX-
perience with the seed established the
confidence Of Mr.. Simpkins in their
quality and merits of e%arliness and
productiveness, both in the field and
at the gin.
Spreading the Gospel of Cotton.
Realizing that the period of ex-
peri1nentation had ended, the cotton
having not only retained its every
original merit. but added to those IT
possessed at first, Mr.. Simpkins offered
all the seed he had to spare to neigh
boring farmers on condition that they
were to house n gin the cotton care
fully, keeping it absolutely separated
from all other cotton, and sell back
him at harvest time at a certain
price all the seed that were good for
Mr.. Simpkins would then
replant, culling out and throwing
away every plant hat showed the least
of deterioration. This has
been his method ever since. except
now he has three farms instead
Of one. He grows planting seed on
his own farms under the most care
ful and painsta king management, and
makes it a rule during the growing
to go over the farms himself.
culling out and throwing away every
stalk that indicates deterioration, In
this way this wizard of the cotton
has produced g seed that is su-
to any or the market in both
and productiveness, and II
It's Improvement continues, besides
those advantages and being the
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