The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-02-26
GO IN FOR DIVERSIFIED PRODUCT.

elhere is q real Danger TO the FARMER IN turning
to any one particular substitute for cotton as 3
money crop. Such q procedure would not benefit
the farmer permanently, it could only afford q
Temporary relief. He would still be a one crop
farmer.
What the farmer should do is to diversity his
crop; study his soil and plant accordingly, raising
as great a variety of product as possible.
Every farmer should have a head or two Of
cattle, gaots or other live stock; he should plant
some of his land to peanuts, some to soy beans,
both of which are il grcat demand by the oil
mills at present, til. peanut also affords a good
soil builder. He should also put in some corn,
some other grain if possible and a little cotton.
We would not have him neglect cotton altogether
because a few acres can be cared for without much
labor despite the boil weevil.
What the farmer needs is a balanced husban-
dry, providing for his family and stock, raising
enough of all crops to he ya some product to sell
on the market, fer the farmer, like everybody
else, needs ready money.
DR.. Bradford Knapp, chief Of the cooperative
extension work OF the federal department of agri-
culture advocates such o course as we have out
lined. He says, after reviewing the history of
farming in the south for years past, raise:
l. A home garden for every family on the
farm. From one-tentn to one-fourth acre, we'll
located, well tiled and tended as carefully as any
other crop on the farm, planted in rotation to
time the vegetable crops so as to have a contin-
uous supply for the family table as many days
in the year as possible. To this should be added
one-fourth Of an acre in potatoes, either Irish or
sweet or both, to be used as food for the family.
An acre of sorghum cane should be produced to
supply the family with syrup if means can be
for grinding the cane and making the
syrup
2. Produce enough corn on each farm to last
the family and livestock with certainty for one
year, with a little excess for safety.
8. Produce sufficient cats and other small
grain to supplement the corn as food for one year
with certainty, remembering that these small
grains conserve the soil in winter and provide
some grazing for livestock.
4. Produce the hay and forage crops neces-
sary to supply the livestock on thesfarm for one
year, with a little excess for safety, not forgett-
ing the legume which add fertility to the soil
and produce the best hay.
5. Produce the necessary meat, eggs, and
milk for the family. The meat should be pro-
duced by increased attention to poultry and hogs
because Of the rapidly with which these can be
Every family'should have at least two
cows, so that one can be in milk all the time. A
number of brood sows should be kept
to produce the pork for the family, with some ex-
cess for sale. The number of laying hens should
be increased and carefully tended to produce eggs
and poultry for the table with a sufficient excess
for sale. The average number of poultry per
farm should be gradually increased to at least
fifty. The livestock on the farm should be grad
ually increased as a whole SO as to consume the
waste in products on the farm and make
Improbable feeding of poultry and hogs, beef and
cattle, mich cows, etc.
6. When the living has been amply provided
grow cotton for the main crop.
Z. Plan to sell or exchange the surplus pre-.
ducts of the garden, the orchard, the poultry, the
the eggs and the feed crops, to cover
The necessary running expenses of the farm and
save the cotton as the real cash crop.
DR.. Knapp's slogan is Food, Feed and Fertil-
ty." 1t is a mighty good slogan and one entire
y possible for the farmer to live UP to and to
profit from: