Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-01-14

/ low illustrate, can be depended on to
yield a profitable return under skillful
cultivation. The figures quoted are ex-
tremeiy conservative and are under rath-
er than over the mark I'm every instance.
Undoubtedly the yields and the revenue
could have been doubled had this been
desirable. but the thought in handling
this acre of land was to illustrate in
general way what could be done
under type of management practicable
on every farm
The land has been occupied by three
crops during the season. 1t was, first
of all. planted to cabbage and Irish po-
tatoes. There were about 5000 cab
bsge plants set out. OF course, some of
them failed to head as would be true
in any case. A small area of the land
was devoted to Irish potatoes. The cab
bage were sold by the head, by the dozen,
and finally, in job lot to furnish green
feed for a poultry plant. Yet an ac-
curate record shows that enough cab
bage We're disposed of at very ordinary
prices to gross sac. Enough Irish po-
tstoes we're sold at 81 a busheI to gross
Sf5. Some lime was used under the
cabbage and 200 pounds of fertilizer of
the formula indicated above were used
at the rate Of a large handful per head.
After the cabbage and potatoes were
removed, the land was plowed and plant
ed to corn, 500 pounds Of the formula
mentioned above being applied. Some
see worth of roasting ears were sold
from the acre at prices varying from
10 to Is cents per dozen. Such com
as was left was allowed to mature and
more than forty bushels were gathered
from this piece of land. There was also
harvested a ton and a half of corn
for roughage for the mules which helped
TO work the land. 1t will be observed
that this acre produced enough green
ia feed a mule for 160 days, even though
during much Of this time the animal
was performing very hard work.
After the corn crop was harvested
the land was broken up and planted to
oats and is now covered by a beautiful
green sward. and observation would lead
10 the conclusion that there is every
prospect of gathering a fine crop Of oats
next spring
These results show that there was
actually taken in from this piece of
land SIS in money. and yet there was
enough corn and fodder raised which if
sold at prevailing prices would have
paid for the cost of cultivation, fertili-
zation and labor, thus leaving the own
-
are not at all remarkable, and indicate
no doubt what many farmers and truck
ers who are practicing diversification
have been able to accomplish during the
past year. The fact that so much of the
food supplies needed In the state were
raised at home and that plenty of
roughage and grain were provided in a
majority of instances for the live stock
accounts i'm large measure for the de-
- 80 3, sa1. ka~
joyed during the past fall by our farm
ers.
We have before us a beautiful illus
tration of what may be accomplished in
the state whenever we really make cot
ton surplus money crop instead of
our primary crop. The foregoing facts
have been presented to illustrate that
while we live essentially in a cotton
country and while cotton will always be
the paramount crop in this section, it
should not be allowed to dominate the
situation. for II is quite clear that we
cannot only grow a great variety OF
crops successfully, but that our markets
demand a supply of truck which we
have not been able to furnish I'm the
past. There is always the fear in the
mind of so many that business of this
character will be Overdone. 1t is pos
sible. of course, TO overdo anything,
out II viii be some time before we de-
velop a generation of truckers who will
oversupply our markets. There is a no.
tion in the minds of many that unless
they can get high prices for truck that
they can not AFFORD to produce the same.
Ii is astonishing, however. how much
gross revenue an acre of cabbage, po-
tatoes or almost anything else viii
bring in if properly handled. What is
needed is a more intensive farm
practice and the production of a greater
variety of crops to make our farmers
more and more nearly self-sustaining
and permanently prosperous. Climatic
conditions could not be more ideal for
enabling the land owner to maintain
himself cheaply. The growing season
in all the southland is so long that it
is an easy matter to grow two or even
three crops a year on the same land.
Let US concentrate our energy on small
er areas of land, fertilize, cultivate and
handle TO better advantage and so build
them up as to enable the production of
fair average crops of a variety of things
which the market demands and the
land owner needs for the proper sus-
tenance of his own family. The shoddy
methods of agriculture we have prac-
ffcad eo long have initiated against