Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-10-17
DiVerSificatiOn of Crops
Profitable on Biz Farm

Other members of the SCOTS Cotton
Gorwers' association, all of whom have
large herds of live stock, are planning
/ to erect similar silos. They are GO
in gto build for permanency.
In all his corn fields, Mr.. Alexander
insists that peas be planted between
/ the rows at ''laying-by time" These
are plowed under in the fall and the
yield of cotton has been increased i'm
! mensel vas the result of blowing I'M
der this fertilizer. As the party tour
! ed the big plantation, the members
saw some corn fields that were VERT
able swamps, so rank was the growth
of the peas"
An Object Lesson.
| Mr.. Alexander called attention to a
! striking object lesson in the value of
thus blowing under peas as a means
OF maintaining the fertility of the
soil. On either side of narrow road
are fields of cotton. The field to the
north had been planted to corn and
peas the year before and the peas had
been piowed under. The cotton was
rank growth, much of it higher than
mans head. Mr. Alexander esti-
mates that it will yield more than a
bale to the acre and the other mem
bers of the party agreed with him in
his estimate. 1t is as fine a field of
cotton as one would care to see.
The field to the south had been
planted to cotton for six years con-
tinuously. Now the cotton In it is
about the height of a mans knee.
III feel that Pm lucky if that cot
ton averages half bale to the acre."
said Mr.. Alexander an dagain the 9TH
er members of the party agreed with
him.
Building Up the Soil.
And this, it should be remembered,
is land in the Arkansas river bottoms.
as rich and fertile as any that can be
found anywhere-land which some
persons have declared is so rich that
1t can never be worn out or exhaust
ed, even by the continuous planting
of cotton. The two fields refute this
belief IN striking manner Mr.. Alex
ander also SCOTS at this theory.
when | first go: this place some
of it was badly run down. he Sid.
1T had been planted to cotton year
after year until the soil had become
exhausted. | had to start in by rota-
ton of crops and build it I'D again.
won't say What l have succeeded-you
can go owed it and judge for yourself.
As for me, l will never go back to the
old one-crop system no matter how
high the price of cotton may go. No
one can make me believe that it paws"
Does diversification pay?
See and Be Convinced.
Well, those who doubt it are irvit-
e dto visit the Alexander plantation.
They will be received with that old
fashioned hospitality that still survives
despite the many changes that time
has wrought in the South. But the
hospitality, by the way, is the only
thing that is old-fashioned about the
Alexander plantation.
The doubling Thomasses are invited
to climb to the top of the tall, gray
concrete silo. All around them they
will see green, fertile fields dotted
with neat wfitewashed cabins, a ver-
liable scene OF peace and plenty. They
ma yroam about the fields where the
growth of the cotton is so rank that
they would have difficulty in attempt
ing to walk through it, and where the
big white cotton bols resemble snow
balls. They are invited to inspect the
corn fields. where the corn looks like
trees an dthe peas planted between the
rows are so thick that they cover the
fields with sold green. They will
find fields of tall, thick sorghum wav-
ing in the wind, sleek, fat cattle up
to their knees in grass and clover. Re
turning they will find the barns stuff
ed full of alfalfa hay and Mr.. Alex
ander will tell you that he is at his
wits end to find place to store all
his hay-this while buyers are scour-
ing the country trying to find hay and
are offering fancy prices for it. He
will see the most modern, up-to-date
farm machinery, including Mr.. Alex
ander's own concrete mixer, for he
uses concrete as a substitute for wood
whenever it is practical.
And if, after having seen all this,
the dobuting Thomas still doubts that
Investigation pays-it must be ad-
mitted that his case is beyond hope.