The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-10-02
PIKE COUNTY IS
MODEL FOR STATE
Farmers Live on Farms an
Therefore Make Money
LIKE ONE GREAT CITY
Williamson Method Is Doing Wonders
in Increasing Corn Production.
Farmer Discusses Use of
Commercial Fertilizers.
LIKE ONE GREAT CITY
BY WALTER HARPER.

Troy, October Especial Hog and
hominy are the secondary religion of the
farmers of Pike county
Here I found the ideal farm life.
Plenty is in evidence everywhere. Cribs
are bursting with corn, smokehouses with
meat and warehouses with cotton.
found the white planter living out on his
plantation directing the cultivation of his
field. Here is the secret
Up in the black belt the lands are more
fertile; the farms more extensive and
more attractive for farming purposes
but one grows sick at heart at the evil
dent waste. Farming in the black belt as
rule is moving backward instead Of
forward. You look across vast prairies of
the most fertile land in Alabama, but
there Is no evidence of particular pros
perity. The lands are being butchered
by irresponsible and careless tenants.
They are left almost entirely to the care
of negroes who never within themselves
improve the lands.
In Black Belt.
The planters live in the towns and
cities and seem to be satisfied with their
annual collections of rents and seem to
be careless about the Improvement of
their farms. 1 was told that these plant
ers could not afford to carry their fam
lilies out to the lonesome plantations; de-
prive them of the social and other adj
vantages. This is good reason but | saw
them doing 1t here. The result is the
building up of the social and school con-
ditjOns in tho cnrntrv and orraotJv In
creased prosperity of the planter to say
nothing of the improvement In the farms
themselves.
The good roads that have been built In
Pike county put the farmer In easy reach
of the city and his children may attend
the city school If they prefer. Good
schools are being established all over the
country. telephones run to almost every
farm house in the county and the mail
is delivered almost to every house in
the county.
Indeed, Pike county Is one large city
with plenty of elbow room.
Increased Production.
I am told that three times as much
corn has been produced in this county
this year as in any previous year. Why?
Inc season mas been no better than the
average. 1t is the Williamson method
of planting and cultivation. This method
was introduced about two years ago and
has been thoroughly tested by the farm
ers of this county. 1t is a success. The
agricultural department at Washington
for some reason has been trying to dis
courage the method. / fail to see the
reason.
One Pike county farmer told me that
he used the Williamson method against
the advice of department officials. He
is making 40 bushels of corn to the acre
where he formerly made 10 bushels. He
declared that unless the federal govern
ment sent troops to prevent him he
would continue to use the Williamson
method unless the department shows him
something better I have been told prac-
tically this same thing by dozens of
farmers in Alabama who are making ali
the way from 30 to 100 bushels Of corn
to the acre where formerly they were
satisfied with 10 and 49, One measured
acre in Pike county this year produced
100 bushels. The average yield in Ala
bama is 1874 bushels to the acre. The
average for upland is about 10 bushels
The Williamson method Is raising the
average to more than 80 bushels.
Lees Doctrine.
r. e. Lee. prosperous farmer of Pike,
who declares that he is in no way re-