St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1915-03-27
RICH SOILS VERSUS POOR SOILS.

RICH SOILS VERSUS POOR SOILS
Many people think of the soils OF
the piney woods belt of the Florida
marshes as poor soils. Tha.. brings
I'D the question, what is poor soil
and what is rich soil The orii-
nary individual would say that ricil
soil is one that produces bountiful
crops under reasonable cultivation
without special fertilizers Since
our staple crops are cotton, cane
and corn, or in some sections. rice,
we measure the fertility of the land
nv the returns we secure when these
CROPS are grown. With this sort of
measurement in mind, We say that
the soils of the pine fats Or pine
hill regions are poor as compared
to the alluvial lands of the Missis-
sippi above Baton Rouge. A year
ago we thought the sugar industry
was doomed to determination in Lou
isiana, and we may face the same
conditions in the not far distant fu-
ture again. Many find it unprofil-
able to produce cotton On the old
basis because of the presence Of the
boll weeyil. We will certainly have
to depend to a very appceciable ex-
tent. upon the establishment Of other
crops to largely supplement- these
staples, if not to take their place en-
tirely. Will we then have the same
measure for determining whether or
not we consider the soil rich or poor.
Suppose, for instance, man is
growing hogs for pork, and his prin-
cipal crops are to be sweet potatoes,
peanuts, cow peas, soy beans, velvet
beans, chufas, crimson clover, ETC.,
for furnishing his forage, he would
find that the pine hill lands and the
better quality OF we'll drained pine
flats would be practically On parity
with the so-called rich lands, on the
present basis of classification, and
some of these lands would even pro-
duce better crops of sweet potatoes,
peanuts, and COW peas than could be
produced on the alluyial lands.
Taking into consideration the ease
with which they can be worked, the
absence of COCO and cookie burs. the
absence of expense for maintaining
drainage bitches, the loss of cul-
tivable land occupied by bitches,
and the lower initial investment,
these so-called poor lands may re-
turn a larger dividend and give
greater assurance of crops and less
possibility of calamity Detailing them
than will lands in the all:;vial Sec
ton.
l will give one or two illustra-
tons of the principles here announc-
ed. If we were to yo t. lLieyend-
ence, Tangipahoa parish, for in
stance, the value of the soil is based
primarily on the quantity and quail
ty of the strawberries that it will
produce, maturing for market at a
time when the price is apt to be
good. That is, the measure OF pro-
duction of cotton or cane does not
enter as factor at all. II We were
to go to the vicinity Of Bay Minette,
Alabama. we would find that certain
lands are measured as rich or poor
by the yield Of the sweet potato crop.
Again, if we were to 60 to certain
sections of Virginia, the land would
be rich or poor according to its ca
pacity to produce peanuts. In ac-
cordance with this idea, some Of our
so-called poor lands in the Florida
parishes are the richest lands of the
South when we measure richness by
crops that are especially suited to
them.
l confidently believe that a man of
moderate means. who wishes to de-
vote his life to farming, having for
his main purpose good living, the
rearing Of a family under whole
some conditions, and the gradual &C
Of an assurance of COM
fort in his declining years, would
find a vastly better opportunity to
accomplish his ambitions in the So
called poor lands of the Florida par
ishes, than he would in the so-called
rich lands of high price. look for
the ultimate development Of this ter
ritory as community Of small farm
ers, prosperous and contented under
that develop the best citi-
zenship.
COLDS ARE OFTEN MOST SERl-