Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1910-04-21

Written for the Beacon. }


Of the raw material. Business men
are ever on the alert TO cut down
the cost either by machinery or
quick methods. As manufacturers
OF anything whether of the raw ma
terial or the finished product IL is
very necessary TO make il at the
very lowest cost.
City men sometimes make very
successful farmers for they carry
with them to the farm business me-
thods have has been taught the
necessity of knowing the cost OF
making q thing. by the keen compe-
tition that has surrounded them
he is ever ready to take advantage
OF every quick method or piece of
machinery that will enable him to
put his goods on the market at the
least cost.
There is branch OF our farming
that can use no machinery and the
cost OF production can only be cut
down by quick methods and the cut
tirg out OF each and every hour that
can be cut out in the manufacturing
OF the crop. The crop referred 10
is tobacco and there 10 no crop that
can be planted in Southern Mary
land that can take it's place with the
majority Of our farmers. but it is a
crop that has 10 be made without
any help of machinery except the
planting. and there seems to have
been no effort on the part of our
people to lessen the labor cost OF the
crop but the time has long since ar
rived that the farmers should have
turned their attention to cutting
down the cost OF producing the crop;
for under high prices and scarcity OF
labor it is very necessary to cut the
cost Of producing il we wish TO make
it at profit. The majority OF our
farmers are still using the very same
methods that their grandfathers did
when labor was plentiful and cheap.
| will try to show where some OF
the cost can be cut o1t and while it
may seem little Ia spots when added
up it amounts to quite saving and
possibly others can still find more
ways TO lessen the labor. Some OF
the methods may seem a little
strange to some (for my grandfather
did no work that way) but all have
been put into practical and profita-
bic use. will start with seed bed
which should be long and narrow
for it is quicker made and takes no
more to cover it. Only one spot is
needed for good many years for as
soon as all the plants have been
drawn that are needed. seed the bed
thickly in cow peas so they will keep
ell grass down by the dense shade
and also make the soil in better me-
chanicsl condition than a straw GOV.
er and will use up and keep the sur
plus fertilizer that the plants did
not use and will also add a good deal
OF nitrogen to the soil making the
land better each year and the land
will not pack and cause so many
plants to break of in drawing even
when necessary to pull them in dry
weather to be used with the planter.
Ii any weeds or grass does come up
through the peas see that they are
pulled out before making seed. Such
a bed can be made with plow and
cultivator by one man in half day
and never q hoe needed as be
trenches with the cultivator. A
bed OF 16G square yards would take
two men q day 20 make the old way
With the manure hauled out in the
winter as fast as made and spread
as hauled. msxes only one plowing
necessary for with a disc harrow or
il nothing better is to be had two
horses to a cultivator one can have
bis land nice and mellow and with
less clods and faster than with the
plow. After the land Is once plow-
cd one does cot need the plow any
more for you can do a better job
with the ordinary cultivator in both
marking OF and billing for th plants.
Some have bought the cultivators
especially for billing but they are
not needed for / have the attach.
ments and have used them. but fin
that the ordinary cultivator gives
me the same results so have dis
carded their use. When hard pres
sed by the weather. have cut ou,
marking of the rows and seeded the
fertilizer in a straight row with the
assistance o. stakes and the results
seemed just as any way. With the
cultivator one can put up so OO(
hills against 10000 with the plow il
the same time. II a tobacco plan
will grow two feet high on a bricl
chimney (and | have good authority
for thst) it looks that any land tha
is fairly soft would allow il to do III
best and a cultivator will make /
| nora than fairly soft aeDon;aIlv ;