The Tupelo journal., 1913-11-21
INVESTIGATION ON
SOUTHERN FARMS
Some Reasons for Getting Away
From 0ne-Crop Idea.
VITAL PROBLEM FOR FARMER
Must lnaugurate q Safe and Sane Sys.
tenn Of Farming to Enrich, instead
Of Wearing Out Our Lands-
Cotton Exhausts Humua.
(By q. H.

(By @. H. ALFORD.)
There are two problems before ~
for solution. However, the most real
and vital problem before US just at
this time Is to get our farmers to prac-
tice a safe and ane system Of farm
ing; one that will include crops to en-
rich instead Of veal out u lands;
one that will include plenty Of good
live stock to consume the surplus prod
ucts and the leguminous crops that
must be grown to enrich the land and
to make anu to still further enrich
the land-a system OF farming that
will grow the necessary corn, oats.
wheat, rice. sugar cane. vegetables.
fruits Of all kinds, poultry. hogs. mules.
horses, cattle, sheep and other live
stock for home use and to sell at q
price the people In u towns and cit
les can afford to pay.
The too exclusive culture of cotton
has exhausted the humus, the life
giving principle in our soils; the wash
ing Of the clean cotton fields has gone
on to such an extent that millions of
acres of the best land in the cotton
belt have been ruined. The too exclu-
sive culture of cotton makes it neces-
sary to send the money obtained for
cotton north to pay for corn, oats,
pork products, mules, horses and other
farm products. The too exclusive cul-
ture of cotton has caused o~verproduc-
ton, thereby forced the price far below
an equitable one, SO that there has
been but little more than a bare liv-
ing for cotton farmers. The too ex-
elusive culture of cotton established
the credit system. AS long as u
farmers raise their supplies at home
there is no necessity for the credit
system. The too exclusive culture of
cotton compels us to buy on credit
and dump all of our cotton on the mar
ket in the fall in order to satisfy our
creditors and thereby force the price
down.
If these statements be true, why
have the farmers in the cotton belt
not practiced Investigation more gen.
orally long ago? Many say that the
farmers have been compelled to plant
cotton to get credit, and at the low
prices of cotton, which SO long pre-
vailed, were unable to get out OF debt
and go forward unhampered on an
independent basis. This is no doubt
true of many thousands of farmers.
There are, of course, numerous rea-
sons for the too exclusive culture Of
cotton, but the argument used by most
cotton farmers is that cotton Is the
most profitable crop to grow and that
the larger the area in cotton the larger
the profits. These cotton farmers US
ually show by figures that an acre of
land that will grow 40 bushels Of corn
will grow one bale of cotton and that
the cotton will sell for more money
than the corn.
Now, come, let us together
for a few moments. The success OF
any system Of farming cannot be-
Judged by the crops or the next earn
ings for one year or for five years.
Any system of farming that impov.
erishes the land is a miserable failure,
no matter what the profits may be for
one year or for FIVE years. Our prob
lens largely depend upon maintaining
soil fertility, and for this reason any
system of farming that causes a de-
cline in the fertility of the soil Is q
shame and disgrace to our farmers.
Our greatest asset is the fertility OF
our soil. Just in proportion In which
our soils are worn out, in that proper.
ton is our prosperity diminished. No
living man has ever acquired the art
of growing good crops of grain, grass
es, cotton or vegetables on poor land.
Poor soil always means small yields;
small yields always means poor peo-
pie, and poor people always means
the credit system. very little educa-
ton, uncomfortable homes, poorly
equipped farms, and, in fact, all that
retards civilization.
In passing. permit me to suggest
that corn with peas in the corn and
peas grazed by hogs, and oats follow
ed by soy beans OF ~lespedeza will take
the place of a large part OF the cotton,
and that you will make as large net
profits from the sale of these crops
as you make from cotton. Land that
will make one-half to three-fourths
bale Of cotton per acre, on the aver
age, one year with another, will make
80 bushels of oats and 20 bushels Of
soy beans, or two tons OF lespedeza
hay. The oats and soy beans or lespe-
deza hay will sell for more cash than
the cotton. And wherein these crops
and corn and oats used in q rotation
surpass any M crop system. lies in
the fact that the fertility of the soil
is increased while with the too ex-
elusive culture Of cotton the fertility
rapidly decreases.
The most destructive and energetic
insect that the world has ever known
is gradually covering the cotton belt.
There IL n hope and only q hope
for the farmers, and that Is the diver
eifcation Of crops. The adoption of