The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1915-12-04
MONEY MAKING
ON COTTON FARMS
A General Resume of the Farmers
Problems With Excellent Sugges-
tions as to Improvement.

The climate. soil. transportation,
equipment of farms and labor con-
ditions are particularly adapted to
securing large returns from this
crop. The territury in all the rest
of the world having favorable con-
ditions for raising cotton is very
limited. Cotton raised under good
methods uf farm management gives
greater annual returns per acre
than any other general field crop
grown in the United States.
Yet with these advantages must
cotton growers barely make liv-
ing and have to get credit for
goods for their families and feed
for their teams while they are
raising the crops. A majority of
cotton growers are obliged to buy
on credit the meat. vegetables, and
other food used on their tables and
the grain and hay eaten by their
teams At settling time in the
fall when the cotton is sold. it
takes most, or all. of the cotton
money to pay the store bills for
food, feed and clothing already
used. The cotton grower pays his
bills and has to Immediately OBJ
tain credit for another years sup
Plies to be paid out of the cotton
that will not be planted for six
months and will be harvested in
the fall Of the following year
This bad financial condition of
the average grower is not the fault
of the cotton, but of the wrong
system of farm management under
which it is grown. 1t is the hrst
business of every farm to produce
the food for the people and the
feed for the ANIMALS living on it.
The cotton growers rave violated
this economic law.
The long growing season of the
cotton belt makes it easy for these
farmers to raise food and feed
Two crops of forage can be grown
on the same land each cropping
season. A we'll managed garden
will furnish vegetables. Irish and
sweet potatoes for eight or ten
months each year and an ample
supply of material for canning.
Berries and melons thrive through
out the South. Oats, barley and
wheat may be sown in the fall. 10
most years these crops will furnish
sufficient pasture during the fall.
winter and spring to pay Tor pre-
pairing the ground. the seed and
seeding When left to mature
grain, these crops are harvested in
time to plant summer growing
crops like corn aud COW peas on the
same land Hogs can be raised
and fattened ready for market at
cost of IL cents a pound. live
weight
The cotton grower every year
should raise the food to supply his
family, his men and their families,
the feed of all the live stock kept
on the farm and sufficient surplus
of general crops and farm animals
to be sold to pay for clothing,
school books and other needs of the
people living on the farm. The
money from the cotton and cotton
seed will then become a surplus to
be put in the bank for investment
or to be used for improvements.
equipments and luxuries.
A BILLION DOLLAR CROP.
| Cotton, lint and seed is billion
dollar crop. 1t is now a debt pay
ing crop. When the farmers of
the South raise other crops and
live stock sufficient for their home
needs and to meet tteir living ex-
ueuses, paying as they go. the
BILLION. DOLLARS received year
! " from this crop will be surplus
money AS soon as this is done.
the cotton growers will be among
the most prosperous farmers in the
world and the cotton growing
states. one of the richest districts
TIE raising OF variety of crops
and of live stock will increase the
production of the soil to such an
Iextent that the average now plant
ed to cotton will be sufficient 10
produce as much cotton annually as
is now being raised and in addition
| the food, feed crops and live stock
needed to make cotton surplus
money crop.
j MAKING MORE FROM COTTON.
The average yield of cotton is
1877 pornds of lint an acre and two
pounds of seed for each pound OF
4 lint 1t has been demonstrated on
hundreds of farms that with a
proper system of cropping, 500
mounds of lint can be grown per
acre on land of moderate fertility
and / 600 pounds per acre on rich
land The larger yields can be Sc
cured under good methods at less
cost a pound than the cost undel
4 the presnt system when cotton il
the only crop The cotton grower
needs a variety of crops and live
stock as much for the benefit Of his
, cotton as he does TO meet current
expenses.
The cotton grower who does no'
need to sell cotton to pay debts can
market it slowly through the yea
and it will bring $40 or more
bale above the price secured with
, present method Of forced sale a
picking time.
The loss from country damage
to cotton is reported BY large
handlers to average S4 bale
lThis is lnss from unnecessary ex.