Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1910-01-14
A Remarkable Farm Record.

Last winter, while touring the east
ern side of the state with a special train
on the Mobile & Ohio railroad, mention
was made of what had been accom-
plished by an old negro who lived Just
over the line in Alabama. The story
seemed almost incredible, out Mr.. Hem
derson of the Land and Industrial De
partment of the road stated that it was
Vouched for by a number of reliable
parties who lived in the neighborhood.
In October NJ. A. Crosby, assistant agri-
culturlst of the Mobile & Ohio railroad,
visited the farm and made the follow
ing report to Mr.. Henderson concerning
the matter:
Il have made two visits to the famous
two-acre farm of Sam Mccall and Sc
cured considerable data on his work. as
we'll as photos of some OF his crop. L
regard his work as a mos striking ex-
ample of what it is possible to do on
the majority of Southern farms. All
things considered, he is perhaps the most
successful negro farmer that has come
under my observation, and there are
thousands of white farmers who might
we'll follow his example. The work he
has one and results he has obtained
are little short of phenomenal. and al
most unbelievable to one who has not
been on the place"
Mr.. Henderson in turn sends the in
formation to Mr.. NJ. v. Richards, land
and industrial agent of the Southern
railway, in the following very interest
ing manner:
referring to my reference on several
occasions and in your presence to the old
negro farmer, Sam Mccall, near Thomas
vile, Ala, who is now in his 73d year.
and his wonderful success by the ro-
tating crop system on a small plot of
ground containing two acres, for your
information will state that in October,
1907, he planted oats in drills five feet
apart, and in March following planted
corn in drills between the rows of oats
two and a half feet apart. BY the time
the corn was ready for cultivation the
oats had matured. and when harvested
it is said to have yielded fifty to
seventy-tive bushels to the acre, the lat
ter amount being vouched for. After
harvesting the oats, cotton was planted
in the same drill; the corn matured be-
fore damaging the cotton to any extent,
yielded from fifty to sixty bushels per
acre, which is also vouched for by a
prominent farmer. The corn was pulled
up by the roots, leaving nothing on the
ground but the cotton. 1 visited the
farm in September of the same year, in
company with three prominent citizens
of Townsville. The cotton was at that
time we'll fruited, and the average height
OF the stalk eight feet. The bolls were
extremely large and of a choice variety
of cotton. We made a thorough exam
nation, and pronounced the land to con-
tain about s~ix-sevenths of a stand, which
would give him about 4,2OO stalks to
the acre, that would average about
twenty-five grown bolls to the stalk. 1t
was said that forty average bolls of
such cotton would weigh a pound of
cotton, and assuming that to be true,
we estimated that the land would yield
two and a half bales of cotton to the
acre, under favorable conditions.
"The oats were the finest that I ever
saw. I was presented with Il sample of
them which had been on exhibition at
the Farmers Loan and Trust C%ompany's
bank in the town of Townsville and
by Mr.. w. l.. Belts, farmer and mer-
chant of the same town, and which i'm
pressed me as being a world-beater, the
bunch of oats from a single kernel con-
tanning 289 straws or stems bearing oats.
l brought the package to Mobile with
me, but arriving late at night, left it
with the baggage agent for safekeeping.
Being called away from town the next
morning and calling for the oats on my
return several days later, [ was informed
that some employee of the road had taken
it to his home as a parlor ornament.
These are the oats referred to by Mr..
NJ. A. Crosby, assistant agriculturist, Ma
con, Miss, in copy of his letter attached.
Mr.. Crosby has visited the farm of Sam
Mccall the second time, and, as will be
observed from his letter, was very much
pleased with his visit"