Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-11-04
ON SOUTHERN rARMs

The boil weevil Is here. His pres
ence requires a change in our farm
practice. In all the territory which
he, has already infested Or which he
may infest ~Iaer on a new type of
farming must be: undertaken. No
longer can we grow cotton indis-
criminately and year latter year on
the same land without taking any
more precautions than in the halcyon
days of old. By this l do not mean
TO convey the impression that cot
ton cannot and will not be grown in
practically all parts of Georgia. On
the other hand, the area cultivated
will be restricted while the yield
per acre will have to be increased.
Moreover. there will be a tendency
to concentrate on cotton production
in the foothills of the Piedmont sec
ton. In other sections of the state
there will be a tendency to intensity
the production of farm animals
through a Investigation of crops,
To this end we must produce more
grain OF substitutes for grain.
Of the crops available there is
none which offers greater advantages
for this purpose than alfalfa. This
is essentially a leguminous crop. 1t
is a perennial and when it is once
we'll established, therefore, it will
remain on the ground through a Sc
ries of years. We know Of patches
of alfalfa that have been producing
hay successfully for a period of ten
years and over here in Georgia. We
also know of areas Of land which
have yielded at the rate of five tons
per acre for as long a period as that
indicated. This alfalfa has been
worth on an average about $50 ton,
so that in the period mentioned the
gross returns per acre from this crop
alone have run as high as $1,000. The
man who can grow alfalfa success
fully and feed it skillfully can Off
set any loss or misfortune which
may have come to him through
restriction of the area of land, he
devotes to cotton. ...
It would be foolish to say that
alfalfa can be grown on every acre
of land in Georgia or that it would
be desirable to undertake such a
practice were it possible. On the
other hand, there is not a farm in
the state upon which some alfalfa
could not be grown"to advantage. On
The average moderate-sized farm at
least five to ten acres should be de-
voted to alfalfa. The one-horSc
farmer will find from one to three
acres a most valuable asset, be-
cause during the long winter months
he will have an abundance of hay
suited to the nourishment of cattle
and especially milk cows. This hay
will keep the cows in full flow OF
milk if fed with only a moderate
amount of grain. 1t is too rich in
nitrogen to. constitute the exclusive
roughage for horses or mules, but
some of it can be fed to advantage
to this class of live stock. 1t is
especially desirable that we have
some rich leguminous hay to feed
along with corn slower, pulled fod-
der, sorghum and such other coarse
carbohydrate crops as we produce
most abundantly on our farms.
The poultryman will find green
alfalfa the best thing to provide
his chickens to make them lay,
and@even some Of the hay can be
ground up and added to the ration
Of hogs, with advantage. Sheep
thrive on it, So 1t is a crop of fun
damental Importance to our farm
ers. 1t is one of the few crops
known which can be made to re-
place a considerable amount Of the
concentrates in the ration of dairy
COWS and in the fattenng of beef