Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1915-10-15
SUGGESTIONS TO SOUTHERN
MARYLAND FARMERS.
BY G. II. Afford, State Agent,
College Park. Nd.

The real, vital problem before the
people Of Southern Maryland at this
time is to work out safe and sane svs
tenn Of farming, enc that will include
crops to enrich instead Of wear out The
land and plenty Of good live stock tc
consume these crops and make manure
to still further enrich the land-a svs-
TEN Of farming that will grow the ne.
esSsry corn. oats, vegetables, fruits oil
all kinds, forage crops, hay, poultry.
hogs, horses, cattle and other live stock
Tor home use aud to sell.
The too exclusive culture Of tobacco
and other soil-robbing crops has ex-
housted the humus, the giving prin-
ciple in the soils, and the washing of
the clean cultivated fields has gone on
to such an extent that thousands Of
acres Of fertile soils have been made
productive. This one-crop system
makes it necessary 10 send the money
Obtained for tobacco to other sections
to pay for bacon aud lard, hay, corn,
dairy products and horses; causes over
production, forcing the price down SO
that there is but little more than a
Dare living for tobacco farmers; and
eompeis them to damp all the tobacco
on the market in a short time, also
bringing the price down.
| do not wish to be understood as
advocating diversiiieatlon of crops to
the extent OF developing a scarcity Of
tobacco. l do not advise the farmers
Of Southern Maryland to supplaut 10.
bacco as the main cash crop, but rath-
or urge them to supplement- it with
thoroughly good, permanent pastures
legnmes, grazing and forage crols. rood
gardens, good orchards and good live
stock. The sensible thing for eacl farm
er to do is to reduce his acreage in TO-
bacco, practice system Of rotation IN
cluding legemiuons crops, AID raise
hogs, poultry, horses and other live
stock You can plant fever acres ia
tobacco. lime, fertilize aud cuitivate
better, and obtain much larger Yields
per acre. Some Of the acreage may be
thoroughly sodded to grasses and cioy-
ers or planted in legumes, corn, oats
and veteh, aud other crops. Undsr
these improved methods the soil Will
increase rapidly in fertility, a much
better price will be Obtained for the To-
bacco and the money will be kept at
home.
An experience Of % years convinces
me that only occasionally will a man
continue to succeed who fails 70 give
some kind OF live stock prominent
place in his farm operations. This IL
practically true anywhere, but douby
SO ners Tor many reasons. Firsi
large part OF the lands are natural
deficient IN plant food elements, parti-
cularly nitrogen and phosphorus. and
the manure from farm animals is es.
sent'al IN building up aud maintaining
soil fertility. Nitrogen is too costly
to buy in its combined forms.
and in order to get it economieally
through legumes, we must have i've
stock to consume these and return Tue
manurlai value to the soil. Your soils
are so responsive to fertilizers AID ma
nures that it is easily possible to mike
them produce maximum crops. Resid :
these advantages Of live stock YOU conld
by hoVing all the poultry, hogs. sheen.
cattle ana horses that the farm viii
support, utilize the grasses and cloysrs
that should be growing on lands now
uncultivated in this section. ther. b.
rendering profitable much OF the land
that IS too rolling to cultivate econo-
micaily.
The growing Of tobacco and other
crops that impoverish the soil and at
tempt to keep up its productivity by
che Use Of commercial fertilizers, must
give way to new system Of farming
praeticlng tation Of crops Including
legumes- The crops grown will be
largely fed to good live stood, the ma
nure carefully saved aud applied to the
sol and the necessary lime aud com
merciel fertilizer jddieially applied.
Probably the greatest need ia South I
efn Mars Hand at present is for more I
grass, more lagumes and more live
stock surely those who assist in
creating conditions that will enable
Lafmers to grow two good animals in
me place OF one scrub, are as great
Denefactors as those who Cause two
blades Of grass to grow where one grew
,efore
No section offers more superior adj
antages for dairying than large part
I this one, all Things considered.
Where conditions favor the production