Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-03-12

in two cows and one or two good soys.
After this investment is made the
farmer should SOW at least one-fourth
OF his place in small grain and provide
some Bermuda grass, white clover and
other pastures for his stock, for he
cannot successfully farm without these
pastures.
Next to this / think he should arrange
to plant another fourth of his place n
corn. He should by all means plant one
or two acres Of alfalfa and at least one
or two acres in sweet potatoes and
Irish potatoes. Then about one-fourth
or one-haIf OF the remaining land should
be planted in cotton. BY this system of
crops he can have something bringing
in cash from his crops all during thu
year; or by feeding the hay and corn
crops through his own cows and hogs
he can have pigs and milk and butter
TO sell off al during the year to bring
in cash every week. BY adding 90 tol
100 pullets he can have a revenue from
them nearly every day in the year.
At the end Of three years. If the
farmer viii raise the mule colts every
year, which he can easily do and scarce
ly miss what it has cost him, he will
find himself independent; because if ne
viii take care of the offspring from the
mare. the cows and hogs, he can begin
selling each year from $500 to $500
worth OF live stock off his place-say
a colt 3 years old for $3.50, two good
3-year-old milch cows at $50, which
would be 500, and should sell at least
$3.50 worth Of hogs per year from the
two sows. making $500 actual income
Where is the average farmer who has
had this surplus income, or even got
ten this much of cotton this year? There
is not farmer in the state of Georgia
but what could easily do this and in
crease as he was able to do so. This
would soon bring him to absolute In-
dependence. 1t would teach his children
how to handle colts. cows. pigs. and
would keep them at home and enter
tanned many a day when they would
otherwise become dissatisfied and be off
somewhere, possibly into trouble, and
learning nothing, and eventually would
leave the farm and go to the city.
The farmer who has 40 to 100 acres
of land has absolutely no excuse for
not working out this system and bring
ing himself to independence in a short
while, and many more luxuries for his
family. The small farmer Of ordinary
means and of limited amount of ed
ucation is the one to whom this article
is suited most; and Of all the people n
the world who need a little encourage
ment and little help, IL is this class
Of people, and possibly many troopers.
AS soon as they get on the road to pros
perity, as a rule, they and their fam
lilies make better citizens, and they feel
like they are entitled to better places
in the world, and they leave nothing
undone to put themselves in that posi-
ton.
The weIl-to-do farmer is capable or
figuring out his own affairs and TAX
ing care Of himself. He does not need
help. The ones that are not worth
helping and the shiftless class, as a
rule, do not want encouragement, but
often when they see some 9th ers in mod
crate circumstances coming to the front
1t makes them sit up and take notice
and encourages them to make an effort
themselves.
OPPORTUNITY OF SOUTH.
With this grand country-our SOUTH
/ land-teeming with so many opport,i
mites for mankind to make plenty of
money and to give his family better
/ opportunities, the chances are great to
soon become absolutely independent of
/ the speculative markets on cotton. corn
and other things, that our farmers must
lay down some system by which they
can become more independent and nor
be compelled to put their entire crop on
the market the day when it is harvest
i - anu ANN NAE 0uNHAut hOIIQ nave II AT
any price they offer. If the above svs-
tenn is worked out. which can be done
inside OF three years. and with no more
money than is now invested in the av-
erage one-horse farm and the stock
now on IL and with the same amount
OF dollars invested. These things can
be brought up inside of three years and
would keep some Of the millions in our
midst that are now getting away from
I m Ind In
| larger total income for what cotton We
do produce than II is now bringing. ana
devote at least one-half OF the labor now
| devoted TO cotton to making something
10 eat and take better care of the land
With this system Of farming, as out
| lined above, there is scarcely n farm
in the state but what would soon he
come so much more productive in a
Few years and the land would yield
almost double what it is now produc-
ing, with the same amount of labor.
and instead Of our lands being burn
ed up and washed away they would
soon become garden spots and be so
rich that the average farmer would
hardly have house room for housing
his crops. / feel so much interest in
the welfare Of our country, and seeing
every day the need Of a system SINH
lar to the one outlined above being nut
into practice in our midst. l cannot
help but write on this subject, as I
know personally OF quite a few farm
ers In this country who are working
on similar line and have seen them
rise with such rapidity and become so
independently that I know that others
can do likewise If they will only try.
We have a great country here and
nothing would afford me more pleas
ure than TO see our people absolutely
Independent and not solely dependent
upon the prices received for our sta
pie crop because it casts a gloom over
the entire country and makes bust
ness in every line dull and gives one
a feeling Of uneasiness whenever they
see cotton go below 10 cents per pound.
The price for cotton has worked up and
down every few years this way con-
tinually for the past 80 years to my