Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-08-19
Land Clearing in Georgia.

M feature of farm extension work in Geor-
gia is entitled to more encouragement than
the land clearing demonstrations that are
about to be undertaken by the state college
of agriculture in several South Georgia coun-
ties The railroad administration and land
owners in the counties to be visited will CO.
operate with the experts from the state coll
lege in the land clearing work, which is eX-
pected to emonstrate the value OF stump
pulling machinery, dynamiting, the use OF
farm tractors and other improved devices in
undermining and promoting farm production
in Georgia.
A train of nine cars will be required to
transport the improved machinery and equip
ment that will be used in the demonstrations
Several experts from the state college of ag-
riculture will be aboard the train, and dur
ing the two days that are to be spent at each
place visited these gentlemen will deliver
lectures, pointing out the advantages of clear
ed farm lands, as means of increasing pro-
duction and at the same time tightening the
physical burden of the farmers.
The train will leave Athens on the last
day of this month, arriving at Cordele on
September LIST for two day visit, where the
farmers of Crisp county will be treated to the
first practical demonstration of land clearing
following which the experts will deliver
lectures on the value and advantages of thus
improving the farm lands. Altogether
eighteen counties will be visited, and in each
the educational work will be repeated.
The lands selected for the demonstrations
will be plotted and the several agencies CO.
operating in the work will draw lots for the
portion Of the field to be cleared by the par
Hcu1ar method each agency is representing
Thus, one section will be given over to the
improved stump-pulling machinery, while an
other will be cleared by means of dynamite
and still another will offer an avenue for
tractor demonstrations. This will enable
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the relative value and advantage of each of
the several approved methods that may be
adopted for clearing farm lands.
The experts will devote themselves to
pointing out the practical advantages of level
farm lands and showing by comparisons the
increase in the. value Of such lands Very
few states are blessed with as much level
land as may be found in South Georgia. The
fields are for the most part free from washes.
there Is comparatively little rock and most
OF the bitches may be blinded. Unfortunately.
these level fields of fertile land bear the
marks OF the pine forests that formerly COW
cred them. Very few of the fields are free
or stumps, and these stumps seriously inter-
Tere with the cultivation of the soil. They
MAKE 1t impossible for the farmers to use
modern and improved machinery in making
their crops and add materially to the trouble
and expense of cultivation
recent investigation by agents in ten
counties Of the state disclosed that twenty
nve per cent OF the seVenty-fve per cent of
South Georgia land in cultivation is wholly
unstumped. The investigation disclosed,
further, that the yield per acre of this land
suffers to the extent of ten per cent because
OF the stumps, and that in many instances the
cost of this decreased yield actually increases
the expenses of cultivation by fifteen per cent
Thus it appears that the farmers of South
Georgia, speaking generally, are paying
tax of approximately twenty-five per cent, or
one-fourth the productive capacity Of their
lands, because of the presence of stumps. Ger
ta1nly, any practical plan for relieving this
situation and lifting this burden should be
encouraged, and The Journal feels sure that
the land clearing demonstration of the state
college will be followed by results that win
abundantly justify the campaign that it will
INACCURATE in Georgia. We feel sure that the
farmers in the eighteen southern counties
that are to be visited will not miss the
demonstrations and it is confident ex-
pectat1on that many of them will profit bv the
lessons they learn.