Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-02-14
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE


Editor Times-Recorder: have
read in the different presses how diff
ferent writers have viewed the pres
ent depressed situation of all bust
ness on account Of the low price OF
the farmers products, but in none
of these views from the different
writer's do they undertake to advise
the farmers how to overcome or es-
cape this same state of affairs or
depressions which come every few
years to the farmer that depends on
cotton for his money crop, and on
commercial fertilizers to keep up
the fertility Of his soil, for both these
have failed and has failed for the
last 25 or 30 years or since the lib
eral use of these commercial fertil-
izers have been exercised and APP
piled and which if continued would
result in the future as it has in the
past and that is a poor farmer and
a poorer and impoverished soil Now
| am going to outline a plan and
system which / tester out by four
years actual experience and how it
resulted and turned the tide. for me
and it will do the same for any far
mer that will give it a trial. In 1914
and prior to that time | had been
following the usual plan and sys-
tenn of my neighbors, and that was
to buy all the fertilizer | though my
crop would warrant and to plant all
the cotton | thought necessary to meet
this debt and to pay me a small profit,
and following this plan year after
year had involved me to a loss of
$4,000 up to the crop of 1914 and
a loss of $4,000 on the 1914 crop
making total of $500 which
had sustained by following the usual
system of our entire state in their
farming methods and which has in
volved every farm in the state to
such an extent that there are few
farms that do not have a mortgage
hanging over it, and it was in 1915
that | resolved to try out different
system from the one | had been fol
A'"AiAS anu W 1lLldhE lily ldIlu SSll
sustaining and profitable or l would
quit the business. To do this my first
resolution was never to sign my name
to another guano notes to supply me
with commercial fertilizers to build
up the fertility of my soil and to
raise my crops, that / would try out
natures way by raising and grow
ing leeguminus crops of which the
velvet bean is the greatest of the
leguminus plants known, and one on
which you can rely to build up any
run down soil and to cause it to dou-
BILE its yield in two to three years of
growing these beans.
In 1915 | put my plan and sys-
tenn in operation to give it fair
test. | had about 1926 acres in cult.
walton. Of this amount I planted
70 acres in Fulghum oats, and after
the oats were cut off I put 40 acres,
of this oat land in peas with few
beans for hay. The other 80 acres
cut up, making two pastures for
grazing my hogs and with little
dry corn and soaked velvet beans
beans in the pod they thrived splen-
didly, and from the hogs l raised l
sold about $500 worth of dressed
pork, and from the crop of oats
sold over 500 bushels which l receiv-
ed $1.25 per bushel selling them for
seed, and | made about 80 tons of
hay. l put about SO acres of land
in cotton, planting it on land where
l had corn, velvet beans and pea
nuts the year before and with the
exception of few acres Of this which
applied little scrappings from
my lot, was grown without the use
of any fertilizer and I made 81 bales
for which / sold the bulk of around
10 cents per pound, and after the