The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-08-24
BEN SKELETONS POOREST FARM"

one Of the -r-at,s. farmers 4.,a-
erinGs in the history et the STAT, viii
commence al the \ ANA 81 s.le-o.
tomorrow when the state Farmers
Convention meets III annual session
ARRANGEMENTS have beau made Els
nave some Of the le4dlu- T1rn,r> OF
the state give their experiences II
building Up their farrn- one ef THESE
address VIII b. mad. PSI Mr + r.
shelton, VI Speed. president uf the
convention. the subject assigned nam
being How Made >ly Farm Pay
II tn connection an article which MIR.
: \ Winters wroJ FOR I; recent num-
Der 81 the Progressive Farmer is IN
tefestinS. Il Is as follows.
Fen. what in the world DID you bay
that poor farm for Why. It's the
poorest in the county"
Up against this sickenInE Judgment
Of a Well-informed neishbor. Pen =.
shelton, OF speed. \. G.. began IN. re
ella nation OF a 600-acrc farm On the
boundary line OF Edgecombe and Hal
lfaA counties. ID years ago. The
plantation had indeed been skinned
and robbed by the one-crop system.
and was noted chiefly for Stunted
pines and scrub oaks, knee-deep gull
HES. anu SltfnpN, GfOp-SiCk S0ll.
Fifteen years later the owner OF
this plantation has fittIn2lX chosen a.
the subject of his address. AZ presl
dent OF the North Carolina Farmers
Convention. How Made Ny Farm
Pay"
Cattle and Hogs Important Crops.
Based on d visit to Nh. Shelton'~
farh. and without any advance in
formation rs to the content Of his
SDapHh hnfnrp the -, m ~ {'AfNan-
ton, this article Will inevitably touch
upon the formal title Of his practlca.
address to be delivered IN Raleigh
during August. TO write Of MI. Shel-
ton and Mapleton Farm is 10 write
about how he transformed a badly
Rundown plantation into a paying
proposition. His letter heading
'Hereford Cattle and Berkshire Hogs
-bCtrayS the plot OF the story.
The initial move of Ar. Shelton il
the restoration OF the fertility Of tn
soil came soon after he took posses
sion. He invested $500 III scrub cattle
Thu plantation was fenced in. an
: while the cattle enriched the soil, Nj
Shelton was busy dynamltlne stump>
clearing of pine growth. and terrac
: Ing the plantation.
Profits accumulated from the sale
: of the grade stocll. The logical ques
ton then came, IF there's any none
!, III SCRUB Catlle. UotS II not Hollow liz
= profits from pure-breds would be ma
teriaIly largerr' Thus in 1904 N
= Shelton imported a pure-bred Here
ford bull from West Virginia. TIE
acres of bottom land, a%fforiing dens'
~ matted and luxuriant grass plot
y was the ~pasturage for the White-face
Mr.. Shelton gradually made q add
tons to his original purchase. Al
other year or two and he bought
pure-breds. BY September of 1914 II
number of the herd had increased
1913. From September to June, l9l
- he arket % of that lumber II
~ gross revenues from the sales WEI
S4,34S. The shipment Of a car of be
cattle to Richmond, local sales
breeding steers, and shipments
$ pure-breds to beginners in cattl
e growing were the available market
&c The ~-ov of high grade stoC
~ were marketed as good measure. II
- pure-bred bulls averaged 500 apieC
- while profits from calves apprOXima
~ ed So apiece. An advertisement
% the Progressive armer brought hi
-: answers from nearly every SOuthe1
10 State and completely sold him out
6 Good Pastures for the stock.
> What are the practices of feed pr
. ductiOn on MapletOn Farm Whl'
make cattle-raising highly %prOitabl'
10 For six months in the year the Her
fOrdS 1--we on SraSS-Supplemented
a handful of salt once a week. .
- hundred acres in productive pastu
land yields an abundant crop Of gra
~ During the winter months they are I
M silage, hay, cottonSeed hulls and c.
tOnseed meal. Two characteristics
ct the type recommended the HerefOr
as the breed for Mapleton Farm
.!S their docile nature and their dispo
n = ton to hustle around for their live
~. hood.
Shropshire sheep and Berksh
hogs occupy a well-balanced prop
y ton on the livestock program of I
y Mapleton Farm, 125 head Of she
thrive on pasturage Of Bermuda q
lespedeza. For nine months they I
- self-sustaining. Cottonseed meal a
w cottonseed hulls constitute their W
! ter ration. inexpensive and easily 6;
q ed for. profits accrue readily r.
iSi the sale Of ambS He Will sell
o. Ii--