The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-03-08
iBy Z, =. Parkor.)

You ask for my ideas as TO the
,,,ost important step for the farmers
~ your section to take during the
coming year for the best development
NJ vour agricultural and rural inter-
SIS.
For the highest development of
your agricultural interests several
thugs are necessary. First, to have
faith in the agricultural possibilities
of your section. I'd, a study OF the
soils and their adaptation to different
crops. Sd. rotation and diversi1ica-
,iou OF crops. 4th, the use of labor
saving implements and better meth
od.5 Of farming. 5th, more stock on
he falin and better stock.
It is q well known fact that there
are annually thousands OF acres OF
land planted in crops that are not
best adapted to that particular crop.
We need to study our crops and soils
and adapt the crop to the soil. II
the land is not we'll adapted to cotton
do not plant cotton on it. and SO on
with other crops. Land that Will not
bear 200 pounds of lint cotton to the
acre should not be planted in cotton.
land that will not produce moro than
0 bushels OF corn to the acre should
he planted in some other crop If plant
I'd at all, that will not require con-
make good crops of peas. If so, plant
them in peas or some crop that Will
improve them until they will make
profitable cultivated crops.
While all crops take the same kind
Of plant food from the soil they do
not all take plant food III the same
PROPORTIONS To keep the right pro-
portions there should be rotation OF
CROPS and for the same purpose and
for economical proportion tnere
should be diversilication of crops. It
is not best to plant the same crop on
the same land continuously.
Better Methods.
We also need to use better methods
Of earning. One OF the first things
the Northern or Western farmer
speaks Of when he sees our farms is
The sioyenly meth DDS we use in the
preparation and cultivation OF our
hands. The writer was with party
OF western farmers looking over q
North Carolina farm short while
since. The owner Of the farm thinks
ne is a good farmer, and was not
AFRAID to say as much. rms visit
yas when he was sowing wheat. The
westerners looked at the condition of
the land and the poor plowing of the
darllies who were doing the work and
said such work would not be tOIer-
atnd in their section-that man
who would not plOW better than they
were doing would be run out Of the
field If anything has been demon
strated this year by large yields Of
both corn and cotton it is: 1t pays to
thoroughly prepare the land before
tl.e crop IS planted. To do this and to
cultivate our crops economically we
must have better implements than
are often found on our farms. TO be
able to use the labor saving imple-
Enents to advantage, many Of us need
to have more and better stock than
we now have. These are IL few OF
the things which / consider Of most
Importance to develop our 3SricultuF-
al interests.
Tar Heel Money at Home.
It is safe to assume that every
fariuer, where conditions are fayora-
t,ie. should grow on the farm the
things that are needed on that farm.
That millions of dollars are annu-
ally sent from North Carolina to the
Northern and Western States to pay
for corn, hay. bacon. lard and other
things that should be grown on the
farms in North Carolina is the
strongest argument that can be made
lor 4 change in this respect The
present cotton crop of North Carollna
wili bring to our farmers about $40,-
00D 900 which should be used in North
Carolina to improve our farm homes
to educate our sons and daughters, to
improve North Carolina roads over
which our farmers travel and to
build up North Carolina industries
and towns that our farmers may have
better markets for their products In
stead, we send this vast amount OF
money to other States, and exchange
for the things we could raise on the
farms to educate the children of other
people. to improve farms we will never
own. to build roads we viii never
travel over, to build up industries and
towns whose patronage we will never
enjoy. These things should not be
We have the soil and the climate to
@F"# the things we go largely buy from