Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1913-07-16
LIVE STOCK ESSENTIAL FOR MAIN.
TANNING THE FERTILITY OF
THE SOIL.

A great many farmers are under the
Impression that they are prospecting and
their friends think they are making
money, when, in fact, they are growing
poorer every year. They grow good
crops, they live comfortably, there is an
air Of prosperity about them, but when
the real condition is shown il will reveal
the fact that they are really growing
poorer.
To illustrate; have ten thousand dol
lars which ! place in the bank and as
need money ! check on my capital at the
bank. can live slong comfortably for
a time, but after a while my capital will
be exhausted.
just 80 with a great majority Of our
farmers today. Their capital is invested
in farm lands, they grow and market
crops year after year, each crop taking
some of the plant food out of their soil;
the system of farming they practice
takes away plant food, the fertility of
their farms and returns nothing 10 the
soil The same thing happens to the soil
that happens to the bank account when
all is taken out and nothing is returned.
Both will be exhausted in time.
You all know farmers who are doing
just such farming and every one, so far
as his farm is concerned, is poorer each
succeeding year. If we could get our
farmers to realize this, they would want
to change their system of farming and
adopt one that would give them a profit
and at the same time build up their soils
They can do so by giving the proper
attention to the live stock industry.
Tennessee is rightfully the home of that
industry and the sooner our farmers get
TO appreciate our advantages for produc.
ing live stock and the Importance of re-
turning vegetable matter to eur soils, the
sooner we will stop losing game and
60 to making real profit on our work.
We should get fixed in our minds the
fundamental principle and first law for
successful agriculture-to cultivate the
soil to grow crops to feed animals TO feed
the soil When we do this our lands
will grow richer with intelligent handling.
Our crops will be better and the farmer
will really be making money instead of
simply living off his capital.
Conditions are all favorable for Ten
nessee farmers engaging in che live stock
industry. The Western grazing land is
growing less every year. Because Of the
vast areas of level land, they can farm
with labor-saving machinery and make
crops at less proportionate cost. They
have not yet learned the lesson we have
| learned, that we can exhaust the humus
! in our soils, and the need of live stock
in our system of farming to rebuild the
soil. Our forefathers thought the same
about their lands, but we have learned
better. We can afford to let the Western
farmer grow his grain crop for market.
While live stock are so much in demand
at fancy prices we have an opportunity
to make money and rebuild our land at
the same time.
us 60 at it right. Blood will tell. Let's
get good blood. It does not matter SO
much in cattle if you are raising for beef
whether you select the Shorthorn, Angus
or the Hereford But decide on the
breed, then get thoroughbred With good
individual points. And let not every
farmer select a different breed; but let
the farmers in a community agree on a
type and all breed that type. 1t will re-
qUire fewer service animals, and by all
breeding the same, it will be possible for
the community to establish reputation
for that type that will attract buyers,
and it will mean the advantage to the
producer in having the buyer come to
them and ask what they will take, in
stead of the producer hunting the buyer
and having to ask him what he will give.
The same will hold good in any kind
of live stock breeding By all means,
have community cooperation. Every
time you show me community where
live stock is the principal industry, l
will show you fertile farms and pros
porous farmers. There is no section of
the United States with more natural ad-
vantages than Tennessee, and no section
of the country has neglected the most
profitable industry as Tennessee has the
live stock industry.
We must correct the abuse our land
has received from this and former gen
Grafton. We cannot do it so quickly or
so well in any other way as we can by
making the live stock industry the para,
mount agricultural industry.
Prof. Taft says that we are ludicrous.