El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-06-03
FRANK G. CARPENTERS LETTER.

the same ito be paid out of the cotton
when it was picked. When the weeyil
wiped out the cotton he had nothing
to fall back upon, and starvation
stared the greater part of the popu-
lation in the face.
What Uncle Sam Did.
This was the situation when Unclo
Sam, patriarch, in the person of his
agent, the late DIR. Seaman A. Knapp.
began to instruct the farmer how to
fight this terrible bug and still make
money out of his landt DR.. Knapp's
plan was to teach US how to control
the weevil as far as possible from sea-
son to season, and by the proper Sc
lection of seed and by deep blowing
and narrowing TO produce plants
which would yield more cotton. or,
rather, enough to feed the necessary
weevils and leave something to spare.
His motto was Double the crop by
good farming" or rather raise the
same crop on half of the land.
The plan also provided for diversi-
fled farming, to make che farmer raise
all of his own supplies, all his farm
animals and their fees and to have
one patch which should be planted to
cotton to furnish the cash for the
family. This last fitted in with the
conditions. for the bolt weevil destroys
credit wherever 1t goes and the farm
ers are compelled to raise other things
in order to live.
$4,000 Demonstration Farms.
The work began in Texas in 1904
and it has now spread throughout the
south. The government has $50 agents
in the cotton belt, and more than 75.
600 demonstration farms, upon which
the planters, under the weekly direc-
ion of Nd fhofr 81
ants, are raising cotton after govern
ment methods. In the boil weeyil re-
gion there are county clubs of such
farmers, and the stories OF the sue
cess Of their members have taken the
place Of politics as a topic of CONVEX
sation.
The government agent selects, as
far is possible, the best farmers and
asks them to plant out an acre of
cotton at some conspicuous place on
his estate. 1t is. If possible, at a cross
roads, or at least near some road. so
that the people may see the results as
they go by. sign marking the spot
as a government farm is put up, and
this place is visited by the farmers for
miles around and the operations care
fully watched. At the start the farm
ers are always skeptical and it is
difficult to get them to make the ex-
pertinent. After the first year, how
ever, they are anxious to try, and
the demonstration farms multiply. In
hundreds of counties this work has
revolutionized the methods of farming.
and men who were practically bank
rupt have become rich. The deposits in
the savings banks have increased and
new banks are being started in nearly
ali such regions.
The credit system is on the decline
The planters are raising their own
supplies, and with many Of them the
cotton receipts are almost all clear
gain.
A Talk With Government Agents.
While at the department of agricul-
ture today I had a long talk with two
of Uncle Sans agents who have been
tration farm work for the bureau Of
plant industry of the department of
agriculture. Each has his own terri
tory. through which he moves about
from state to state and county to
county experimenting the demonstra-
tors and their hundreds of agents.
These men are w B. Mercier and H
E. Savely. both of Mississippi They
tell me that they are raising more
cotton than ever before in the sections
where the demonstration work is. and
lIlotl last year Oh oo.VVV AVIS VIM
were cultivated under such directions
a total of 72,O00,0 900 pounds of seed
cotton was raised. making an average
$50 pounds to the acre. In North Caro-
lima, where there is no weevil as yet
5000 pounds of seed cotton have been
raised on one acre, making crop
which, with lint and seed, was worth
S195. These demonstration farms have
shown a mighty increase in produc-
ton over all others about where the
old methods of farming were used,
and in most localities they are show
ing a profit of SIS per acre over that
Of their neighbors.
In one of the worst weevil districts
F. L. Maxwell Of Louisiana grew $50
pounds of lint to the acre on planta
ton of 1000 acres. and this on land
which is said to be especially favor
able to weevil production.
Converting an Old Farmer.
This demonstration work Is revolu