The Monticellonian., 1915-03-18
PRODUCTS SUGGESTED BY L. A.
MARKHAM WHICH FARMERS
CAN RAISE PROFITABlY.
STARTS GARDENS AT ONCE
Says Garden Should Be Made to TAX
Place in a Large Measure of This
Years Store Account.
BY L. A. Markham.

AnXiously hundreds are asking these
questions; but really, if the farmers
or Arkansas rise to their opportunity.
we cannot see the slightest reason for
alarm. We believe the states cotton
crop can be reduced 35 to 80 per cent.
and the land put in other crops with
out our farmers being under the neces-
SHY or seeking a market outside the
state. or outside of the home even, for
single pound of anything except cot
ton and possibly live stock two
things for which there is always a
market 1t is simply a matter of sup
plying this year a market that other
people have been supplying for years
and years. For more than genera.
ton the meat and grain growers in
the central West, the hay raisers of
the Southwestern country, and the mo-
lasses producers of Louisiana and
South America have been finding a
good and unfailing market here. Why
can we not, In the present emergency,
supply the same products to the same
market ourselves?
products we have been buying and for
which we know there is an absolutely
safe market at home-are products we
ought to raise From different parts
of the state news is beginning to come
In that the farmers are preparing to
plant big crops of Irish potatoes. cab
sage, melons and perishable products
OF various kinds. and for men of ex-
perience who have an established
trade, 1t is well enough TO raise these
things. But in our humble opinion
the man without experience and with
out an established trade had better
let them alone. At any rate it is ut
terly useless to take any chances on
them, If we plant half a cotton crop
and raise In addition the things we
have been accustomed to buy, there
VIII be no land left for perishable
products. except for family use
l. A larger corn crop. We ought to
raise enough corn to supply the fam
fly bread and to run all the live stock
on the place and as many more as we
can command the means to buy. IL
all the work stock are fed on home
raised corn, instead OF dolIar-a-bush
store-bought corn and all the family
supply of meat Is raised and fattened
at home, instead of being bought at
the prohibittve prices of the retail
store, the crop will have to be fully
twice as large as the average farmer
is accustomed to produce
2 More pasturage and hay crops
Every farm ought to have a permanent
pasture, and few acres of the farm
stead could not possibly be put to
better use than to sod it to Bermuda
grass for pasture early this spring.
The Bermuda pasture would return
more clear profit, acre for acre, than
cotton would return, even with the
limited number of live stock the aver
age farmer would have to Craze A
cowpea crop, a peanut crop and a COM
bination crop of sorghum and peas
ought to be raised on every farm. The
hay which these crops would make
take the place of the hay which comes,
by thousands of tons, into the state
every year from the fields and mea-
dows Of Texas, Oklahoma and the
West.
8. A crop of cane for molasses.
Throughout the southern and central
portions of Arkansas excellent crops
of fine Louisiana ribbon cane can be
grown along the branches and on the
creek bottom lands. In the northern
aTfn tot rhry
be substituted, but it makes a good
quality of molasses and is an absolute
ly certain crop.
Fourth. A larger and better family
vegetable garden. The garden will
not take much land, but it is estimated
by the best authorities that one-quar-
ter of an acre of good land well tended
in garden will produce more profit
than any three acres of common field
crops on the average farm
The garden ought to be started
right away. 1t should be made to take
the place, in very large measure, OF
the store account this year, and it
ought to begin producing things to
eat very early in the spring.
After land has been reserved for all
these things-things for which we do
not have to seek a market, but have
it right at home-the rest of the place,
in our humble judgment, ought to be
given to the cotton crop. We believe
that cotton. for the great majority OF
US, ought to continue to be the prin-
cipal money crop, just as it has been
in the past, with the vitality important
notifications that the acreage ought
to be cut in half and livestock ought
to be raised in greater and greater
numbers.
OF course we are not blind to the
| fact that lack of money, a lack of
credit, lack of experience, and a
great many other things will stand in
the way of hundreds of men in carry
/ ing out such cropping system as
| this; but these difficulties must be
overcome Merchants must come to
the aid of their customers, landlords
must rally to the support of their ten
ants, and farmers must study the prob
lens OF their business as they have
never studied them before. Herein
lies our salvation