The farmer and mechanic., 1915-09-07
BION III. BUTLER.

Tarboro, Sept. At is a pity that
when Farmer Ben Shelton was voic-
ing some of his ideas at Raleigh the |
other day at the meeting of North |
Carolina farmers he could not have !
had there as illustrations some of the !
examples of diversified farming that
arc to be seen down here in his negih-
borhood. For Shelton and his neigh
hors are constituting of themselves
Just such a board of suggestion and
invention as Secretary Daniels is MAX
ing of Edison and the big wigs OF
fhe country, only that Shelton and his
ueighbors are working along a line
somewhat different, although equally
important
We have heard some of diversified
farming. Shelton is doing diversified
farming. and with all of the diversi-
fed farming | have ever seen, or any
other kind, 1 can not recall any finer
exhibition of farming than was visible
from the open second story windows
Of Ben Shelton'S dairy barn as
crowd of farmers stood there survey
ing the picture in front. On one side
field of corn, acres and acres in eX-
tent, almost ready to cut, looking as
even as a floor uniform in color and
practically perfect in stand, an ideal
field and an ideal crop, sweeping away
90 the edge of the forest in the dis
iance, a big field and big crop.
on the other side of the barn a vast
pasture with real pasturage, not sim
ply bit Of ground with a fence
around it, but actual feeding surface,
and on the pasture what looked to be
n herd Of about hundred Hereford
cattle. Now mind you not merely a
Hereford here and there to give tint
to the picture, but white faces every
one Of them. broad backs every one
of them. round TANKS every one o.
them, big chunky, beef type from
muzzle to switch, and all of then
plump, steady, contented busy feeders
paying strict attention to the job o
taking on size and shape, and unaware
that in addition they were actors IL
one OF the most attractive movin,
picture shows ever exhibited in Nortl
Carolina. Close by another family o
royalty claimed attention. Farme
Shelton is diversifying in hogs and h
has the bunch there with pedigrees a
long as those Of Kaiser Wilhelm an
Franz Josef. with the advantage tina
tho aristocrats Of the Shelton farm
are not making war on their neigh
bors, but are content to stay peace
fully in the pasture and devote them
selves energetically to the NOR
bucolc task Of providing for tn
smoke house for the winter.
To make the picture still more com
Dlete is a flock of sheep that com
mands the same respect all the Othe
four-footed inhabitants OF the plaC
do. for they are workers along tn
same lines providing wool and mu
ton for the big farm, and aiding
maintaining as we'll as in creating i
fertility. for when Shelton took hol
OF this farm 1t was not the fertile an
productive place it is now.
Real DiversificatiOn.
Here Is a man who makes cOtto
and makes it right, but he has hun
dreds Of acres in other crops. and I
Is making the other crops and makir
Them right, diversifying in the broa'
est meaning OF the word. and nal
lhg diyersification a practical fact.
But he could have brought 9th
examples than his own farm.
might have offered In evidence, cou
he have moved the big exhibit, II
farms of George A. HoldernesS. IL
picture Of the Pamela farm could
sent out over the United States, take
as / saw it from the platform of
tool house on the edge of the farl
showing 200 acres of corn, 100 acr
Oh peanuts 100 acres of soy beans al
some other forage, which he means
Sraze off with hogs and cattle, far
that looks from the platform to
as nearly perfect in stand and vie
as can be imagined. that pictu
widely circulated would be worth
North Carolina for advertising pu
poSeS as much as the crop is Wor
90 the farmer. and / am going to Su
sest now to Mr. Holderness that
should have a photograph made
'hat spectacle to be placed at the d