The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1917-11-30

cotton acreage would have resulted In an even
serious predicament for the cotton planters
during the summer season.
Another reason for the decline in production mas
been the strong pressure brought to pear upon
the South to practice diversified farming. This
has resulted In some states In considerable de-
crease in the cotton acreage In order that more
corn, wheat, oats, hay and other food crops might
be grown, though these conditions are more or
less local. The government Is engaged IN cam
paign to interest the South in feeding itself. and
many thousands of farmers who planted cotton
almost exclusively have embarked In diversified
farming in the last two years.
The idea back of the diversified farming move
ment In the South Is to make cotton the money.
making crop, and to utilize and other staple
farm crops to pay the espenses Of operating the
farm and to enable the South to produce enough
foodstuffs to feed itself Thus, a tenant farmer
who has 40 acres in cotton would. provided he
practiced diversified farming successfully, make
from $500 to 5000 year, all from the sale Of
his cotton. This would be net profit, but would
not. of course. include the increased value given
the land through the enrichment Of the soil by
the crop-rotation plan The average tenant farm
er who practices crop rotation well double
his cotton production within two three years. 1t
has been demonstrated.
This gives food for speculation as to the possi-
bility which would follow the general adoption
Of crop diversifcation throughout the South The
average tenant farmer can grow barely more than
one bale of cotton to the acre, though with
proper farming and fertilization he can increase
this yield to three bales acre, according to
farming experts However. not all OF the South
ern cotton fields are soil impoverished and It
would be doing the better-class cotton planter
an injustice to say that BY proper farming he
could double or triple his cotton crop. OF the
100000 acres planted In cotton this year. a
large percentage of the acreage could be so in-
creased In fertility to double the yield BY
1919 provided crop rotation followed out
along the most modern lines.
With better farming the South will thus be
able to make Its 35OOOOOO acres or more do the
work of from $4,000 600 to $4,000, 600 acres under
the old plan. Any important reduction in acreage
therefore. is not to be looked upon with alarm
for there Is certain to be a consequent increase
In production, barring unforeseen weather caami-
ties To this Increased production must be added
the millions of dollars added to the wealth Of the
South by the other farm products grown In In
creased quantities.
The slogan. "The South Must Feed ITSELF" 10
the outerowth Of this campaign for crop rota-
tion as practiced in the North and West
The realization of this dream would add hun
dreds OF millions Of dollars to the wealth Of the
South alone for almost all of the states will be-
come producers instead OF consumers. Despite
the enviable climate and the good soil possessed
Dy ALABAMA there are many counties which spend
one million dollars more each year in import-
Ing outside foodstuffs. With the practice Of d.
versifed farming 1t will be possible for every
county in the state to export as much corn ana
other farm crops as 1t now imports
Some observers have taken the view asDerial,v
since the entry Of the United States into the
war has resulted in increased activity In the d.
versifed farming campaign. that a serious blow
Is Intended at King Cotton but such Is not the
case. The whole idea of the campaign ia no+ 70
uproot the chief Southern crops for the Northern
crops, but to rotate such crops as have soil
enrschtng values, so as to enable the Southern
SOIL to produce even greater cotton crops Ra
cause OF Its revolutionary character, the dtverst
hed farming campaign has not made much nroo-
ress except In Alabama, Georgia and neighborne
states. which have been adding tens Of million.
Of dollars to the value Of their farm prof,uct.
each year In recent years
When the war sent and wheat to skv-
nigh prices along with cotton, It proved much
easier to enlist the sympathies Of the Southern
farmer, and many thousands Of farmers are max.
ing more money growing high-prfced corn and
wheat ,nan they did in growing cotton. This is
due chiefly to the relief given the sol! nv cron
rotatioE and such conditions will be evee more
common next season. when the soil rebuilding
process adopted by nature Is given time to eef
wen underway Impetus has alone been given
crop diversincatlon by the shortage Of labor The
most OF these crops require less labor than cot
ton and can be tended more efficiently than cottoe