The Prescott daily news. (Prescott, Ark.) 1907-1941, 1914-06-01
WEEKLY LETTER OF COM
MISSIONER JOHN III. PAGE

Despite the fact that the continual
growing of cotton in large acreage is
"a great obstacle to prosperous and
successful farming in Arkansas, the
farmers throughout the cotton grow
ing area continue to grow it in album
dance, and too often almost to the ex-
clusion of everything else. Since cot
ton is so easily grown it must be Gull
tivated and the most made of it. The
best way to make cotton growing pro-
titable is to grow it with the least ex-
pense Labor is the large item of cost
in a cotton crop. Labor saving meth
DDS will cheaper the cost. The sec
ton harrow should be run angling
across the cotton rows just as the cot
ton is coming up, or just after. This
will thin out the weeds and grass, and
thin the cotton some too. A second
narrowing a week later is all right.
One man and team can thus cover Is
acres day. Next get a two-horse
cultivator and adjust some side har-
rows to it, and cultivate one row at
a time. By this means you can COW
er ten acres a day with one team. The
cotton should then be chopped to
stand, to save additional hoeing, as
hoeing is expensive. Continue to use
the two horse cultivator with side har-
row attachments or sweeps, but al
ways giving shallow cultivation.
Use the hoe if necessary to clean the
drill of grass and weeds, but other
wise not any more. Continue the cul-
tivator until the cotton gets too high
for it. Then employ the one-horse
method and small harrow or side har-
row and keep the ground stirred about
two inches once a week up to within
a week of the time it begins to open.
You will make crop and make it
cheaply this way.
Similar methods will make good
corn. While you are blowing the
long rows do some thinking. Make
up your mind that you can and will
make a success on the farm every year
that you will quit shaving your life
away trying to raise much cotton;
that you will never again be without
milk and butter on the place; that you
are going to give the garden the place
Of first Importance hereafter; that
you are going to raise your own meat.
Think over this meat proposition ser
! iOusly and see if you can figure out
that you can raise your meat a good
deal cheaper than you can raise the
cotton to buy it with. It's a fact. In
truth you can take twenty acres of
land and raise hogs enough on it to
buy more cotton than you can grow on
twenty acres, if you will give the hogs
the attention you do the cotton. The
hen, the mich COW and the hog, are
The poor mans best friends, and the
greatest of these is the hog. The
price of cow will buy four or five
sowS. The sows will bring litters
of from six to ten pigs twice a year.
The pigs will fatten and be ready for
the market in less time than it takes
to grow and market a cotton crop.
The pigs will fatten at the rate of a
pound for every four or five pounds of
dry matter fed them. 1t takes ten or
twelve pounds to produce pound in
cattle; and the hog brings as much
per pound. The hog will eat all the
waste stuff on the farm and pay a
good price for it in his increased
weight.
An acre of alfalfa or Bermuda will
pasture five hogs, and grown hog
will produce three dollars worth of
manure during the pasturage season.
The hog will pay good rent on pas
ture land in fertilizer, besides the
meat he makes. But am saying too
much about the hog for the present
Don't overlook him, however. He is
our "main chance" if we would only
accept him as such.