The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1916-02-24
CHAPTER III.
Joe confers With His Partner.

H uoIng nere! inquired Mr.
I'LL Somerville as Joe. after hay
~ ing seen the bank teller hon
or his check promptly by paying IS tc
the plowman, walked into the store.
i've come in to get eight bushels OF
rye"
What for?"
I'm going to SOW it broadcast thick
over the four acres. I've already had
it~broken, cross broken and narrowed
fourteen inches deep, and I'm ready to
plant"
But we are not going to raise rye,
Joe?" was the dubious query.
mo, sir, but we are going to make
rye raise cotton and corn for US"
"How?
well. this is October Let the rye
grow until January; then turn it I'M
der. and it will rot by planting time
and tighten that old barren soil heap
besides furnishing a good deal of val
liable plant food"
well, now, where'd you get that
dea" asked Mr.. SomerviIe in admira-
ton.
Saw it in one of those bulletins the
state commissioner gave me the other
day"
well, it's worth trying. If the state
says it's the thing to do reckon we
can afford to do it. What else have
you doneT'
Joe told him about the leaves and
he barnyard scrapings and the eight
loads of fertilizer he bought. His part
ner clapped him on the shoulder
That's the stuff Well show these
folks around here something about
farming yet"
Now, please, sir, get that wire fenc-
ing out tomorrow. | don't want the
neighbors' pigs to eat up our rye
You can count on the wire and man
to put it up. Are you keeping count of
expenses"
yes, sir. I'm not going to pay odt
cent except by check, 50 we can
have receipt for every payment"
'%That is sound business"
"And l wish, If you please, sir, you'd
write around and find out the best va
rieties Of seed corn to plant and the
best sort of cotton"
Eyes, we must get the very best vari-
cites. l think we can get corn that
win bring two and three ears to the
stalk instead Of only one, like the sorts
we have around here"
"And about the cotton. Mr.. Somer !
Vile. I've heard daddy say that he |
always got more for his first bale than |
any other"
THAT is usually true if the first bale |
Is early, before the main crop is dump |
ed on the market. With two or three
million bales of cotton all over the
south being offered for sale at once, Of
course, the price goes down" Joe pom
dered a moment
Then It seems to me- he said, 'if
we can get sort Of cotton that will
be ready to pick before the rest we |
will make more off 1t, won't we"
Exactly. II we get naturally
quick maturing variety and give it ev
sry opportunity and hasten 1t along
with stimulating chemical fertilizers
we ought to beat the main crop by
.hree weeks and get at least SO bale
or it."
well, you see about writing for the
iced, and let's get the earliest variety
re can that gives a big crop If we
ust get an early cotton that don't
make much of a crop we haven't gain
d anything on the standard cotton
hat makes a heavy crop but is late
lave we|
You're a pretty close fgurer, Joe.
II attend to the seed"
Look here, Mr.. Somerville, let's put
ne of those acres in oats instead of
owing It in rye, and not plow the ,
ats under" ,
mot much money in an acre of Z
ats :
mot by itself, but can get the oats 1
q by the middle OF May or LIST of t
une and then plant it in Mexican
une corn, with cowpeas sowed broad '
asst in the rows" c
"Well, that sounds better-two crops
year off that land t
Better than that I'll pull the fod- t
er from the cornstalks the last of
uly or LIST Of August. We ought to /"
ct 250 bundles of fodder, worth 21a d
ents a bundle"- t
That's three crops-fne" v
''Then that corn will be matured by q
lie middle of September Get it off at
lce." n
Eyes. Then what?'
"Cut all those pea vines and dry
lem. They make the best sort Of hay, n
nd you know what it sells for
~ can get $3.50 half ton for it any