The Dermott news., 1915-03-18
EXPERT ADVICE
 ON DIvERS|F|CAT|ON
L. A. MARKHAM SUGGESTS PROD UCTS FARMERS MAY RAISE
 WITH PROFIT.
WOULD REDUCE COTTON CORP
Claims It Simple Matter to Supply This Yea- Market That Other Peo-
 pie Have Been Supplying.
By L. A. Markham.

Among farmers the question what shall plant this year" is agitating a great many minds at just this time. But, preceding this and giving rise to il Is that other question. What can find market for. and where is the market"
 AnXiously hundreds are asking these questions; but really. if the farmers of Arkansas rise to their opportunity, We cannot see the slightest reason for alarm. We believe the states cotton crop can be reduced 35 to 90 per cent. and the land put in other crops with out our farmers being under the neCes- sity of seeking 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 It Ia simply q matter of sup plying this year a market that other people have been supplying for years and years. For more than a 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 good and unfailing market here Why can we not. in the present emergency. supply the same products to the same market ourselves,
 We can, and those products-the 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 fin that the farmers arc preparing to plant big crops of Irish potatoes, cab sage. melons and perishable products of various kinds. and for men of cN- perienCe who havo an established trade, il is we'll enough to raise these things But fin our humble opinion the man without experience and with. out an established trade had better let them alone At any rate 1t is ut. terIy useless to take any chances on them. if we plant half cotton crop and raise in addition the things we have been accustomed 10 buy. there Will be no land left for perishable products, except for family use
 | X larger corn crop. We ought to raise enough corn to supply the fam ilv broad and to run all the live stock on the pince and as many moro as wa can command the means to huv It aN the work stock are fed on home raised corn. instead Or dollara bushol rehought corn and all the family supply of meat Is raised and fattened at homo. instead of being bought at tho prohibitiye prices of the retail store, the crop will have 10 be fully twice as large as the average farmer is accustomed to produce,
 9 More pasturage and hay crops Every farm ought to have n permanent pasture. and a few acres of the farm stead could not possibly be put to a better usc than 10 sod it to Bermuda grass for pasture early this spring. The Bermuda pasture would return moro clear profit. acre for acre. than cotton would return. even with the limited number of live stock the aver. age farmer would have 10 Fraze A eowpea crop q peanut crop and com. h'natiOn 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 tho West
 3 A crop of cane for molasses. Throughout the southern and central portions of Arkansas excellent crop, of fine Louisiana ribbon cane can be grown along the branches and on the creek bottom lands. In the northern part of the state sorghum will have to be substituted. but 1t makes 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 tho best authorities that onequar. ter of an acre of good land well tended fin a garden will produce more profit than any three acres of common field crops on tho average farm
 The garden ought to he started right away. IL should be made to take the place, in very large measure. of the store account this year. and 1t ought to begin prodrcing things to eat very early fin the spring
 After land has been reserved for all these things things for which we do not have to seek market. but have it right at home-the rest of the place. fin our humble judgment. ought 10 be | given to the cotton crop. We believe that cotton. for the great majority of | us, ought 10 continue to be the prin- | cipal money crop. just as 1t has bean fin the past with the vitally important notifications that the acreage ought | n ha Cuf fin half and iyaStorlr ouch, |