The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-07-26
(EditoriaI Correspondence.)

emerson. the sage or concord, once
wrote: ..If a man can write better
hook. or preach a better sermon, Or
make a better mouse trap than his
,e;ohbor. though his house be built in
4bo woods, the world will make a beat
en- path 10 his door,
We have lived to see that statement
literally fulfilled in Wake county with
jD the past year in way that has
given a new awakening not alone to
the agriculture of this county, but
q stimulus to the agriculture Of the
whole country.
Not far from this place there was
born IN the home of a Wake farmer a
boy who is now known as Elder w.
4. Simpkins, now a preacher in the
Primitive Baptist church, and the best
known cotton farmer in the South. A
few years ago, from his farm in ST.
Matthews township, he brought vege
tabls to Raleigh to sell and began to
win the first premium on his Vegeta-
blrs at the State Fair. He didn't have
q large farm, for he was a poor man,
but he saw that by study and using
the best methods he could make his
land grow twice as much cotton as it
had ever produced. He made his land
richer every year, he bought the best
cotton seed available, he made a care
ful selection Of the earliest stalks and
those that were best developed in form
and hand-picked, and planted them
;&E1 cr,;v h
soon making a bale of cotton where
he had formerly grown only half a
bale, He continued to experiment until
he grew two bales on an acre, and on
one acre that he had long been pre-
pairing, he obtained nearly three bales
the biggest yield Of cotton to an acre
ever known. This made him the cot
ton king of America, and his success
has brought him enough wealth to ride
in an automobile and to live on Easy
street, and it has brought fame to
Wake county and to North Carolina,
made three bales to the acre, Mr..
6lmpkins made enough money by sell
ing the seed to buy a fine farm
was glad today when Mr.. Simp-
klns, the Cotton King of America,
anYjted me to join MIR. w. A Myatt
and Col. F. A. Olds and him
self on a visit to this place to see the
hlng Of America. Strange, isn't it,
fhat Mr.. Simpkins long lived almost in
slght Of the farm upon which Mr..
batts made more corn on a single acre
IMAM any other farmer ever produced
aho that right here in the Southern
4nd Eastern part of Wake live two
young men known as the Cotton King
@Hu the Corn King of America-and
'hey won royal title upon land that
h@d been regarded as poor land and
"I'hout any money to start upon or
without any education except that
sven IN the country public schools!
Gnu because Mr.. Simpkins made the
'"09t cotton to the acre and because
'''' hatts made the most corn to the
"N'0' we nave lived to see the state
'1e'iI OF Emerson literally fulfilled, and
'u6h both lived in the country the
mas made beaten path to their
'iS' The father Of Mr.. Bats told
'ooay that more than 1000 people
'1'Ie mere last fall to see the acre
III on which his son made 226 1-2
: OF corn. They came from as
northwest as the State Of Wash
-s'oh and from as far Southwest as
state Of Texas, Think Of the fact
young Wake county farmer
<''lu make one acre Of land the mecca
~ farmers Of the world! Every
Knows how, when prizes were Of
a. lof the best acre of corn raised
WAKE young Mr.. Bats determined