Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-02-28
INTENSIVE, VERSUS EXTENSIVE,
AGRICULTURE

What character of farming do you
expect to follow in 1919? Do you
ever in your practice, or will you
still pursue those happy-go-lucky
methods of our great grandfathers'
time? The world has changed mate
rally since they lived. In the pc
riod which has interviewed the steam
railroad has been developed, electric
lights have come into common use,
the automobile has been perfected
the aeroplane hardly eXcites our mo-
mentary interest, while our whole in
}uStrial machinery has been revolu-
tioniZed. l make this statement be-
cause I hear so frequently the sug-
gestion that the methods of our
grandfathers were very good and
there is no reason why we should
make change. When l hear that
statement 1 feel that a great injus-
tice has been done to those grand
fathers, who were after all for their
Gay and generation essentially pro-
gressive men and who, if alive now
would, l suspect, in many instances
prove themselves to be more agrees
sive in the introduction and use of
newer and better methods of prac-
tice as they pertain to agriculture
than some of those who inherit the
large land ownings of the grandsires
without the initiative, the breadth OF
view and the aggreSsiveneSs Which
characterized them.
If we are not going to Intensity
production in 1919 we must content
ourselves with relatively low yields
per acre and at the end of the sea-
son we will be faced again with ex-
ceSSive costs of production along all
lines and then will feel that there
has been no profit from the opera
ton of our acres. In spite of this
strange situation if one were to
travel h0nf the state
would meet from time to time men
who found the year very profitable
because they made yields above the
average and therefore were happy
and contented with the, returns OBJ
tanned from their land. We have
been content entirely too long with
what we call average farming. It
is below the standard we can af-
ford to longer tolerate. This state
ment is based upon the well-known
increase which has taken place in la
Dor, in the cost of fertilizers and
the cost of farm machinery and
equipment of every character and de-
Scriptlon. If there were a good rea-
son for us to base our production
on average yields, then possibly the
consideration Of this question would
be inappropriate, but there is no
be done. In 1918, for instance, we
made a very good cotton crop in
Georgla, around 100000 bales from
practically the same acreage devoted
to it in 1917. In that year we har-
vested an average of 1873 pounds of
we strive to do in 1919? Increase
the acreage if we wish to increase
the total output of cotton, or let the
acreage remain where it is, or even
cut it considerably below the pres
ent figure and strive for a larger
WELD nPrpo RNy n
should strive for the larger yield
per acre. When we do this we econo-
mize in every direction.
We are still cultivating the acre
OF land for a larger yield. we are
still, picking the acre for larger
the acre for a larger yield. The
larger the outturn of the crop per
acre the lower the cost of produc-
ton, relatively speaking, and the
tensiVe production will always prove
more profitable than extensive pro-
duction Presenting that Georgia
farmers wish to raise a $3.50, 600
bale crop of cotton in 1919, let US see
what would happen, provided the
of last year. In that event we
would need to. plant 5,917,553 acres
to cotton. This would, represent an
increase es roughly speaking, Of 500
breaking, cultivation, fertilization,
seeding and harvesting of tremen-
dous new area of land. The labor
and the money interest involved
would be enormous and under exist
ing conditions it is doubtful if the
thing could be accomplished because
of the physical effort involved.
On the other hand, presuming that
we might wish to produce a crop
of the size indicated on the acreage
of 1918, what would we have to do?
We would have to increase the av-
erage yield to 208.4 pounds per acre.
That would be 20 pounds of lint cot
ton per acre, or, say 60 pounds of
seed cotton, a thing so easy and
simple of accomplishment that the
wonder is that we should be salts
fled with a WELD of 1873 pounds, or