The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-22
COTTON ACREAGE
 WILL BE CUT DOWN
Farming Methods In Alabama Will Be Greatly Improved
CORN ACREAGE LARGER
Commissioner of Agriculture Wikin- son Believes That the Farmers of Alabama Are Going to Profit
 By Improved Methods.

Montgomery, March 21.-(Special)-T outlook is now that the acreage in cot ton this year will be about what it was last At the same time it is quite likely that there will be a reduction of say 10 per cent in the amount of land devoted to this crop. This is the explanation: The natural increase is about that amount in the way of development of the farm ing industry, so that acreage indentical with 1908 would be a decrease, which seems pretty certain to be the case
 At the same time there is going to be an intensity of farming that will bring about an increase over the normal per acre of cotton and most of the grains Commissioner of Agriculture J. A. Wil1in- son believes that not only will the corn area be increased 15 to 25 per cent, but the yield per acre full 10 per cent-maybe more. Already the sales of seed oats in every section Of the state are far in ex- cess of lasI veal. One house in Montgom- cry has sold 5000 bushels, third more than ever before.
 The increase in most of the crops will be in the white counties. Little change will come about either way in that sec ton where the farms are run for the most part by the negroes. The hill and the wire grass sections will show inn provements in methods and amendments in output. "I have just been over north Alabama said MT. Wilkinson, "and l was surprised at the evidences of thrift and enterprise among the people They are not only building better homes and making better farms, but they are rais- ing and propa gatng better stock. This comes about, in the main, from a desire tc live at home"
 MT. Wilkinson and others say that the farm conditions are changed very much for the better. Lands for this years crop were being prepared in more extensive way when the rains came The sales of commercial fertilizers are over S600O ahead of the same time last year, indicating the growth of the disposition to intensity crops. Campaigns for corn yield have had this effect in the main. At the same time more home fertilizers are made than ever before There is more land feeding and more soil building, and a better appreciation of the possibilities of the farm
 The people are giving much attention to live stock, to vegetables, to food crops, and in fact to a general line of progress in an agricultural way. Soil survey parties are giving valuable instruction and the people are looking to the farms Many of them are going back, convinced of the wisdom of such action.
 Fertilizer Sales.
 It is shown that the total sales of fer tilizer tags. October l, 1908, to March 19, 1909 amounted to sS6629, an increase from those of the same time 12 months ago of $6393 12 This is not taken to mean so movement, a result of the good weather prior to the rainfall. The natural in- crease, as shown every year. will, how ever, account for some of it, along with the intensive ideas of farming finding expression this year in greater measure than in the past.
 The sales by months for the time follow