The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-23


ayers and paid OUT at the end of the
crop year, there were many that were
''in'-the mule was dead and the creditor
had no assurance of getting back his
money except promise to pay. In order
to even hope for that good luck he had
to buy the mule for the next crop on the
same purchase plan. These mules not
only did service to the plow, but attended
meetings at night and went to church
every Sunday, and often his name was
not put in the pot for the picnic. In con-
sequence his life was not insured from
starvation and neglect mules life
was very strenuous in those days.
This constant worry over lamentable
conditions it did not seem possible to
remedy drove the land owner to town,
and thus the walls of the old homesteads
rang with the voices of the plantation
'pickaninny" and many homes that once
were castles of elegance and comfort
are crumbled ruins today.
An Awakening Has Come
However, within the last % years there
has come an awakening among property
holders. Then a few had the nerve and
the hope left to break away from the old
regime of cotton raising exclusively and
venture to have a diversified crop and an
Introduction of the methods of the stock
farm. Among the first of the number
who dared to take off the "old COW bell''
was Mr.. Frank II. Bates of Perry coun-
ty. He never left the home place, but
as his cotton castles faded from view he
had Jersey heifers standing in their
stead.
For many years he stood by a small
herd gathering details of care and man
agement in order to be prepared for the
increased stock. With dairy, which was
gradually supplied with modern equip
ment, he began the sale of Jersey butter
and shipped to Selma, Montgomery Mo-
bile and Birmingham. BATES but
ter was no stranger in the Magic City
for many years. This operation of the
dairy required hours of tedius and care
full labor: intact, involved the personal
attention of both Mr.. and Mrs. Bates to
make ready for market The butter bus
mess grew to such proportions until the
shipments amounted to $50 pounds week.
This end of the dairy existed for 20 years
and sufficed for the operating expenses,
allowing sales from increase of stock and
other side lines to reinforce, working ca
pacity.
Like every enterprise whose resources
are carefully watched growth naturally
follows and radical changes reduce ex-
penses and increase profits.
Cities Demand More Supplies
The cities are demanding more supplies
and south Alabama is awakening to her
opportunities to fill these orders. Mr..
Bates is shipping cream to Montgomery
at a greater profit to himself and at less
labor For three years butter making
has been thrown out of his industrial
programme. except for family use. During
the year of 1912 he shipped to one firm
in Montgomery 2551 gallons of cream,
which was the produce of % COWS, that
netted him $2S21
When asked If this cream was his most
Y,,-a Rfnl.l # H.
''This cream business is the means of
reaching my purpose. 1t pays the actual
expense of maintenance, but the prime
object of stock farming is the sale of
stock By the by, the enterprise of Mr..
Robert n. Bell of your county was a
splendid initiative in the profitable pleas
ure of stock raising. He instituted the
first sale of Alabama cattle in the state.
Other sales at different times and places
We're of stock brought to Alabama and
sold, but the Bell sales was the Alabama
product
Mr.. Bates says he hopes some day to
have such an exhibition at Bates farm.
Besides Jersey cows, good cream and but
ter, Mr. Bates has Duroc hogs and South
down sheep, and Mrs Bates says: NO
chickens are better than the barred and
white Plymouth Rocks for home consump-
ton" Thus we can see south Alabama
has made step from the cotton patch
into field of less tedius and anxious
prosperity. The old adage,
''You may break and destroy the vase as
you will,
But the scent of the rose will cling to it
STILL"
is verified today No matter how much
progress is brought to the farm the cot
ton patch is there to stay. Mr.. Bates has
1
and peas and other foodstuff for beast
and man. yet he reserves 10 acres for
cotton. He says: This is my play
ground. I expect that to yield me about
eight bales, and that means certainty
in coin"
While Mr.. Bates has been among the
first to linger and to wait in the debris
of the hopeless farming conditions, he
has also been among the first TO rejuv-
nate the farming interests of the black
belt to stimulate the love of stock and
demonstrate the profit in thoroughbreds. |
Others Doing Likewise
Across the way, several miles distant /
Mr.. James B. Jones, formerly of Selma, |
has invested in land and stock and has
found profit and freedom again in the
sport of modern planter.
En- route over the line leading from
Akron to Selma we met men who knew
the conditions of the three counties, and
they unhesitatingly say farm lands are
in demand and modern treatment with
market demand for products means an
awakening to the idle lands of south Ala
bama.
gentleman who knows Hale county
from line to line says the county is
on BOOM" He spoke of the successful
farming of young James Weatherly''
and Mr.. Joe Green, son of Judge Green
of Jefferson county, and of their good
citizenship also of Montgomery and
Herndon Inge, two young men from Mo
bile, who have gone back to their ances-
trail home, few miles of Greensboro and
are making a splendid demonstration of
good farming. These are among a few
of the good settlers who have rebuilt and
reconstructed the old homes Besides