The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1911-04-28
Friday, April 2S, 1911
BUILDING UP THE FARMS.

BUILDING UP THE FARMS.
The Federal Government, the
States and the railroads are
making plans on a broad scale to
aid the Southern farmer in in
creasing the fertility of his lands
and the yield of his crops. For
many years the late DR.. Samuel
Knapp Carried on experimental
work and sowed the seeds that
some day will yield a rich harvest
to the Southern planter, says the
Baltimore Sun. He lived to see
his disciples numbered by the
thousand, and the people to
whom he had devoted so large a
part of his life show their appre-
citation Of his work.
Intensive culture has proved a
complete success. even on the
poorest South Carolina sand hills.
Thomas Hitchcock, Jr., turned
over to the Government experts
his 6, 000-acre farm near Aiken, S.
c., and put up the money for ex-
perimental work. Ira W.
Williams, DR.. A. G, Smith and
their assistants in three years
have made this supposedly worth
less land produce better crops
than the rich acres in other sec
tons. They believe they can
make this sandy soil grow 40 or
80 bushels of corn, bale or more
of cotton or two tons Of coWpea
hay to the acre. There are said
to be about 1000 square miles of
this soil in South Carolina alone
and millions of acres in Georgia,
Alabama, North Carolina, Flor
ida and neighboring States.
Mr.. Williams has had charge
of the corn clubs" in South
Carolina, and it was a South
Carolina boy, Jerry Moore, Of
Winona, Is years old, who won
the prize over all American
farmers for producing the
largest amount of corn on an
acre last year. In North Carolina
this year more than 1,400 boys
are enrolled in the corn clubs,
though they have been organized
very recently. Four thousand
Georgia boys have joined the
clubs and are in the race for
born production. There are
more than 100 of these clubs in
Georgia, and the Atlanta Journal
points out that each of them
will be little model experiment
farm, for the boys work in &C
cordance with methods outlined
by the State and Government
experts"
The Southern railroads have
been far behind the Western
roads in colonization work, at
tracing settlers and aiding those
who live along their lines; but
they are now planning a nation
wide campaign to advertise the,
South's advantages and bring
settlers in by the thousand. The
Southern Railway will, beginning
May l, commence the operation
of a good roads train, equipped
with machinery and manned by
experts, to teach practical road
building to the towns and counties
along its route. Starting from
Mobile May 1, it will first cover
Alabama and from there will
proceed through other States.
A tour of five months is planned,
the longest continuous campaign
of road building ever conducted
by a railroad. The Southern
officials hold that nothing helps
the farmer more than good
roads, and every smooth high
way is a feeder to the railroad.
The Atlanta, Birmingham and
Atlantic Railroad has established
demonstration farm at Byron
vile, Ca, where experiments in
truck farming and soil develop
ment are conducted. Farmers
will be aided by experts in build
ing up their soil and will be
shown how to grow and handle
crops for market.
Virginia will soon have in,
operation number of schools
that will teach modern methods
of farming, and this is part Of a
general movement to bring the
school in closer touch with the
farm. North Carolina is working
along the same line.
In truck farming and grain
raising Maryland is probably
more advanced than most Of the
other Southern States, and the
special trains that have carried
the agricultural evangelists from
oJ of +bo S+o+o tn tho OfboY,