Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1915-01-22
From the Aericul-
tural Commissioner.

A great deal of discussion has oc
cured on the streets of Macon the las
week or two about what crops shoul,
be planted this year. Several plan
have been drawn on paper shown,
crops made and sold. and the year,
work always shows nice profit spit,
of minimum yields and minimum price.
received for the different crops. Farm
ing on paper is lucrative business
My opinion though is that there Is tot
little plowing done by the farmer-he
figures too little.
What are the white farmers of this
county who do large part of the farm
work themselves going to do?
You have debts and taxes to pay and
to pay them you must ne cessarily pro-
duce crops that are staple.
The large planters. too, need to make
plans for their tenants. The blowing
can't be left to them. All plans should
regard one man and one mule as unit.
The plan am giving is not suited to
all, but l give it because it will suit
some. know that if some farmers
would work after this plan they would
be in much better condition year from
now than they are now. My criticism
OF the plan is that too many acres are
given one mule.
Four acres of cotton.
Eight acres of corn.
Six acres Of peanuts.
Two acres of sorghum.
One acre of peas or soy beans.
One acre of sweet potatoes and gar
den.
This crop should give an income about
as follows:
~ bales cotton at cents. s. So so |
1900 lbs cotton seed at $50 per ton Is 90
60 bushel corn at Soc per bushel. 80 90
70 bu peas from acres of corn
at 81 90 per busbel. ....... 20 90
lO0 bu peanuts at 60c per bushel 60 01 |
2 tons peanuts vines at $3.50 per
ton. 10 90
zoo gal sorghum syrup at 25c.. so 90
70 bushels sorghum seed at 75c
per Dusnel. .................. 10 U0
III bushels peas or soy beans at
ST. 90 per bushel .............. 10 90
loIdl. ......... SZ6o 0U
This is what is sold off of the farm.
The farmer has kept 100 bushels corn
and all the sorghum fodder from two
acres of sorghum. One acre of peanuts
is reserved for hogs and for seed anoth- [
er year. He has plenty of potatoes /
and syrup for his family for the year. c
Contrast this with all cotton and putt i
ing the yield at eight bales at 8 cents {
per pound and his grass income is only a
S4O0 90. and the farmer has nothing to i
i've on except the profit from his cot v
ION. e
Is this plan practicable? You may I
'ay YOUR land will not make 20 bushels s
IT corn per acre. In that case, put in t,
acres of corn and add acres to the Il
peanut acreage. This will give you 90 g
peanuts more to sell and the "
ines from acres and the peanuts e
rom two acres to supplement your p
orn crop. If your land is too poor to h
make good corn, you should depend d"
lore on peanuts for feed than corn any gl
ray. They will make nearly twice as in
luch feed per acre, and pound for ri
ound, it is as good feed for mules as &C
)rn. hi
You may object to sorghum But in
Thy? 1t is staple crop. You can bi
III the syrup to the Jackson, Brook Sc
lven or Memphis mixing plants at any q
me and get the cash for it. mi
There is not crop sold off of the ia
rm that is not strictly staple crop. RI
sanuts for sale in this county today pc
uld be sold tomorrow in car lots I. O. b, fu
ipping point for 65 cents per bushel
he largest buyers of peanuts in the
nited States said short time ago
at they thought peanuts would never
| for less than 60 cents per bushel. of
If this cropping plan should be fol- CIV
we'd up the second year it could be no
proved and made more profitable by
tting this years peanut land in oats an
or October, and let oats thi
low the peanuts the next June. You tor
! argue that if everybody should am
,pt this plan that there would be no tot
e for anything but the cotton. That we
uld be true, TOO. probably, but every dra
" will not adopt it. Buff the farm I
of this county should, we would not the
ate ripple of disturbance in rices. ere
hope this plan for crop will be pre-
lied. Tear it to pieces if you can, fer
if you do that then substitute one is t
it. j. w. HApDoN, as I
Local Agent. ban
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