The Palatka news and advertiser., 1917-03-16

lack of agricultural knowledge and of
education, and Of study and travel,
and of experimentation, and the lack
of agricultural literature.
I fear that few of the farms of
Georgia would put themselves under
expert survey and be willing to pub
lish the results of this survey in the
county newspaper. Other profess
sions have their curricula. Other
professions have their degrees as
earned after standing critical exam
nations; but how few are the actual
requirements of agriculture? Is it
not true that the generally accepted
theory is tat anybody and every
body can farm?
A survey of southern agriculture
as I see it, and as mace in a broad
and general way, would show GER
tain quite grave defects. First, in
our present tenant system, and second
in our neglect of land upbuilding
through leguminous crop. The new
governor of North Carolina and re-
Gently inducted, made the other day,
the statement that the main work of
his administration would be the con-
version of farm tenants into land
owners.
1t is quite probable, however, that
the governor of North Carolina will
have uphill work. He will not have
to reckon only with the tenant him
self, but also with the land owner.
To speak with many of our land own
ers, as regards selling off their land
is like putting dynamite under them.
Most of our land owners indeed look
upon their lands as matters sacred
sanct. Very few too Of our land
lords will admit the ability of ten
ant to run farm and to manage fl
nances. A host of landlords, in fact,
will openly tell you that the only way
to get tenant to work is keep him
poor; and that if at any time the ten
ant ever becomes a landowner he
would idle away a good portion of his
time. 1t is beyond doubt that run
ming farm as tenant is one thing
and running it as an independent
owner is quite another thing. Own
ership carries responsibilities that
are not shared by the man who is a
tenant only.
The governor of North Carolina
will have hard work perhaps to get
the negro tenant out of his nomadic
habits. So long as the tenant is a
nomad, so long is it impossible to
conduce any system of land upbuild-
ing under him. Nomandic tenantry
always results in run down and worn
out plantations. am convinced
myself that the governor could much
more practical work if he were to
induce tenant and landlords to make
long leases of land, rather than a
twelve months lease. If tenant
knew that he was to remain on a CIV
en- plantation, say for three years, it
Is barely possible that he might be
induced into a better farming sys-
tenn than if he were to be put upon
the plantation with the expectation
of staying there only year. The
tenant too who remains on a farm
for three years might become on his
part so much attached to it that
there might be some hope, at the enc
of his term, of Transforming him into
the land owner that the governor Of
North Carolina would have him be.
Another general survey of south.
ern agricultural conditions will show
our lack of dependence upon the
legume for land upbuilding. In the
North, the planting of clover and Of
commercial hay grass is an every
year matter, and as a part of crop ro.
tation. The fertility of the farm is
kept up with this clover as annually
planted. Here in the South we have
practically no system of land up
building through legumes as annual
ly planted, and we have but very lit