The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920, 1910-11-05
PROGRESSIVE FARMER AND GAznrra
How to Keep the South Poor.

~ Cd DESIGNED this country for the s.~.,
OT ing of the world with cotton, other eeuntrh.
~ being set apart for the supplying OF the vo,ls
with grain, wool and other products" So say,
writer in a Southern paper.
Now, Southern planters have been worhns :.
this theory and trying to make the cotton e.,
pay for everything else they need The re.i,
has been the production OF less than 200 DOT. I'd.
per acre of lint all over the Cotton Belt WIN.
men who have gone to farming, and are growing
the grain and other products that other seeteos
were set apart for, are making here and A~a
1000 pounds. Diversincation and a sensible re<
ton of crops does not the production Of .sss
cotton, but the making OF more cotton ssve,
acres This newspaper man would have the wave
of good farming now sweeping over the SsutA
checked. and the farmers go back to the old GAM
bling with fertilizers for growing cotton year A.
ter year on impoverished acres
The hope OF the South, the hope OF the SoutAsrp
cotton grower, lies in modern farm methods - the
production OF cotton by rotation and NE De-
velopment, through these practices, of The ca
pacity OF the soil for the production OF cotton. IL
every acre planted In cotton in tho South we're
developed even TO the point OF making . bale a
acre. the present average crop could be made 81
one-third the acres now planted, and the off, q
two-thrds could be growing large crops Of Ae
grain and other things the South 10 now nkiag
money out OF the cotton crop TO buy.
Other sections were set apart" says Thu naa
who knows the purposes OF the Almighty. to Ws~
the grain. Have any OF the grain sections ever
made as much corn an acre az has been nade
In the South Has the corn crop ever BEEN cut
short In the South by frost II was last ysae In
the great Corn Bet7 Did the Almighty make q
mistake In setting apart a section whore the srUp
10 apt to be caught by frost to grow corn or dld
He not make the climate Of tho South especially
favorable to the corn cropi
The South. on improved lands. can make 50 to
IS bushels OF winter oats per acre, and follow
them with peas that will make two tons OF the
best hay on earth per acre the same season Gas
the part OF the country set apart fvr grain pro-
duction do anything like that1
Then, too. the very crops that thus aid the
farmer in the production of food and tho I'm prove
ment OF his soil tend TO its development In the
production OF cotton and II the Almighty ret apart
the South TO grow cotton. lie gave tho South1s
the best means for the production at the loves,
cost OF the great crop they set apart TO grow
They were certainly not set apart TO waste their
heritage in the soil as has been done and thsg
are waking up 10 the necessity OF farming and tho
abandonment OF the old planting idea and no re-
dictionary with his little broom can sweep back
the advancing tide, for the Southern sultivators
OF the soil are fast going to farming and ara
studying the best methods OF farming with cotton
as the money crop. but not the only crop; add
they are year after year going TO make more cot
ton on fever acres for this Ia what tho South was
set apart TO do.