Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1914-12-03
INVESTIGATION
7eduetion Of Cotton Rcrease
imperative.

&bS rffoE ot depending upon Ons
crop for the support of the country
is always manifest in the time oi
crisis Il would appear as though
it v'ere just as sound a policy. fol
the farmer TO produce one cash croT
and supply his other wants from the
sale OF 1t as il IL for a manufacturer
to manufacture one article instead
Of many. The special one crop is open
10 too many dangers; no one can
guarantee the quantity from year to
year nor can the farmer depend upon
a uaiform cost Of production. The
objections to the one-crop system
ares therefore,
First. Ii is economically unsafe.
When the production fails or the
ma ket fails the country is in dis
treSs.
Second: II does not permit tie
proper crop rotations for the MAIN
tenance of soil fertility and there
fore calls for the most expensive
makeshifts through the use of COM
plete commercial fertilizers.
Third: It does not give proper
opportunity for the livestock in
dustry as a part of the complete
system of farming.
Fourth: II fails to give oppor-
tursity for wise plans of farm man.
agenent in which team and tools
msy be given the maximum of days
use per annum and labor may be
PROPERLY distributed.
Fifth: Such a system limits
knowledge, narrows citizenship and
does not foster hom. building, but
docs promote commercial farming.
With proper system of diversi-
fed farming the South will get away
from the economic weakness OF its
present system. II may be asked
why has not the Southern farmer
produced other cash crops, and why
has he not gone in for diversified
tiong The answer is very simple,
First, because the system has been
against him. If he wanted to bor-
row money to produce crop he had
70 borrow on the basis of acreage
- cotton or some other one single
crop hxea as = measure OF eredit.
Second, If he raised any other
crop besides the one produced by
the community there was no market
for it.
In one Southern state that i'm
ported, few years ago, two mil
lion dollars worth of hay per an
mum, farmer carried on a demon
stration in hay, getting nearly five
tons to the acre. The price of hay
in that community was from $500
to $4,000 per ton, yet, this farmer
had hard work to sell the hay he
had raised, first because hay by the
load and not in the bale had no
market, though his hay was better
than any baled hay on the market,
second, because hay was generally
purchased through the merchants,
who bought it through the regular
channels and had it shipped in.
The enormous fertilizer bills OF
the South can only be reduced by
establishing rotations and the liberal
use of legumes. in these rotations.
This is one of the greatest problems
that the south is facing and the one
crop system gives little opportunity
for its solution. Diversification
and livestock raising make it pos
sible for the farmer to have a rich
soil, maintained at its maximum
fertility with the minimum cost.
The Southern states 1t thepresent
time do not produce sufficient food
and feed crops to supply their own
necessities. Unless they have an
increased acreage in these crops
they caenot hope to establish the
livestock industry in the South.
A bulletin Of the North Carollns
Department ~f Agriculture, issued
iu 1919, shows the following among
other products shipped into the
State for consumption, 81, $40, 42C
worth of corn; nearly IS, 900, OoC
worth of -four, over six and one.
half million dollars worth of cured
meat; more than one-fourth million
dollars worth of dressed beef; three
and one-half million dollars worth
of vegetables over fifteen and one.
half million dollars worth of feed
stuffs
Certain it is, that most of tn.
Southern states import food pro.
ducts and feed for live stock by the
millions of dollars worth and pay
high prices plus the freight. It i,
quite probable that the figures fol
the present year would show an i'm.
provement over those mentioned.
Three things are necessary in or
der TO bring about the desired re
sulfS.