Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1915-10-25
!. N. COOK MADE
UNIQUE EXHIBIT


|@E< WIZ "<<<**** t"~ t<<<*<
agricultural exhibit At the court house
viii remember the unique exhibit Of
I N. Cook Of Steep Hollow, one Of
Brssos county's most prominent
farmers. This exhibit wss placed IN
prominent place to itself and was
viewed and commented ON by the hun
dreds who visited the fair. 1his ex.
hieit consisted OF ten very small ears
or "nubbins" OF corn. ana fight BY
this corn were four good sized
lunches or vines Of peanuts. Over
these two exhibits he had tackled a
piece Of paper ON which was written
the following lin suhstance): These
ten ears OF corn grew on stalks that
occupied forty feet Of one row where
the rows were three and one-half feet
wide. and these four lunches Of pea.
nuts grew on six feet Of row the
same width as the corn and the same
kind Of land. which Il an average OF
the prairie uplands Of Brasos County"
Anyone would conclude at once that
there was great deal more feed Of
the peanuts than there was Of the
corn. while II took about six and
two-thirds times as much ground to
grow the corn as II did the peanuts
Many people saw and discussed this
exhibit. And while the corn. Of
course. was minimized and the pea
nuts were exaggerated. still ! fear
they came too near Illustrating the
real situation In our county. still
the idea OF Mr.. Cook In making the
exhibit was a good one. and that was
10 impress upon the people the i'm.
nortance OF diversifcation Of the
crops Of our county. Though am
sorry Mr.. Cook did not bring the cot.
ton stalks from a forty.foot row along
from cotton where Il took Ave acres to
make bale. and then let the people
from these three products make their
own calculation and come TO their
own conclusion.
As the conditions now prevail IN
the county. I am sure that any up
lands will produce more value Of pen.
nuts than either corn or cotton. Hut
! do not believe we can produce pea.
nuts In paying quantities except on a
small acreage. And should everybody
plan peanuts for the money crop Il
would not pay at all. Then the Ques'
ton comes up. win either or both Of
the other two erops-corn or cotton
payf | answer that II Il my honest
as well as deliberate opinion. and II
has been formed after some very
careful figuring on the situation, that
no farmer or set OF farmers can make
their farms pay or even self-sustain
Ing where the average yield on those
farms Il not over fifteen bushels Of
corn or a quarter Of a bale OF cotton
| TO the acre. And I again assert,
have In a former article that ths
question Of poor. depleted. impoverish
I'd soil II NJ the bottom Of the whole
trouble.
Mr.. Cooks exhibit broueht II 50
lforcefully before the people that ev
cry farmer who saw II should not lel
Il get out Of his mind 30 long as h
| is forced to cultivate land that Il moi
payable Of producing any better crops
than indicated above.
This h undoubtedly THE onestIov
before our people. The question n
which the welfare Of every man
woman and child in this country Il VI
tally concerned. Not only farmers
but every business. bank and every
thing else h dependent on this auss
ton. and as sure as water runs. sras,
grows or the sun shines. this wil
never again be . universally pros
porous country until the productivity o.
our soils b improved 70 the ssruIuJ
capacity Of the average farm laborel
can be increased. And the quicker
our people realize this fact the bettel
II viii be for an concerned.
a. W. BUCHANAN.
Cous.tw rlo~c~~s~os1cr A~.ut