Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-23
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=. ! ~ 60 EDDCATIoN:
%Z@yo= AND SUCCESSFUL FARMING
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| October LIST in north Georgia will not
| set on sufficiently early to escape
the ravages of the weevil. Why
permit the planting of strains that
are without merit? Is it either rea
sonabl or fair? We legislate against
pie. Why not destroy the wanton
seed that perverts instead of pro-
notes the welfare of the farmer?
! Again, one farmer griws a cotton
of seven-eighths inch staple, while
another cultivates variety that
yields a staple 1.75 inches long. We
know from experience that the yields
| each other, out the long staple up
land variety will sell for three times
as much as the short staple.
We have shown in our demonstra-
ton field that cotton picked when
open to a desirable degre would
grade as strict good middling. If
allowed to stand in the field until
January first it would deteriorate
in quality and character until it
became below staple in grade.
Samples of cotton of the same
variety and grown under identical
conditions but simply harvested at
different dates varied in price from
16 cents and upward down to three
cents per pound. The losses along
this line in Georgia are enormous.
We are making no concerted effort
to disseminate information which
will correct this practice.
Finally, it appears that farmer
who owns large area of cotton may
gather a part of it in condition
which would insure it's being classed
as strict good middling. Instead Of
keeping that part of his crop sepa-
rate he mixes it with later pickings.
AS a result the bale is classed as
good ordinary because it contains not
only some good white cotton but
some that is off color or even STAIN
ed or tinged. Naturally much of
the crop sells for six cents per
pound whereas it could easily have
part of it could have sold for IL cents
a pound. This represents loss of
$40 per bale. Can we stand such
waste solely from an economic view
point? Should such practices be
permitted if we can correct the same
through education? BY what more
fundamental problem is the farmer
faced? 1t even takes precedence
over that Of marketing, because it's
correction is essential to the profit
able and successful disposition of our
cotton.
The college is in position to sup
ply competent cotton graders to any
county in which the farmers evidence
a desire to have this work done. A
small fee is charged for this serv-
ice. The fund thus accumulated is
used to pay the salary of the classer
employed. The work is carried for
ward comparatively by the college
and the United States department of
agriculture.
This plan of operation insured the
nnrrontinr nf ma Of tho hI1S
forth and enables the farmer to Sc
cure at a minimum Of cost the exact
grade, and hence market value Of his
cotton. It's institution would bene-
fit our farmers very materially from
both a financial and economic view
point.
These are but illustrations of some
Of the APPALLING losses, and use the
word advisedly, which are taking
place on our farmms here in Geor-
gia. We are making progress along
the line of agricultural education and
things of SURPRISING Importance
have been accomplished, but the ma
ture, the size and the diversity of
the task by which we are confront
ed renders the overcoming of these
huge wastes impracticable until a
larger proportion of the states reve-
nue. is devoted to the proper educa-
along vocational lines.
The elimination of waste and the
replacement of idle theories and SUI
perstitions by concrete facts is the
great need of our agriculture at this
time. Our progress in the future is
to be measured by the success with
which we disseminate basic facts as
they relate to our primary industry.
The needs of the day and hour
were never more urgent, and the
liberal endowment of agricultural
education points TIE way to the So
luton of a problem that is eating
like cankerous sore into the very
vitals of our farming operations.
Handling Suckers On the Corn Crop
L. e. NJ, Plant City, Fla,
writes: I have a half acre of
prolific corn that is about knee
high. 1t is suckering very badly.
l wish your advice as to wheth-
er to pull the suckers off or not.
It is the nature and habit cf pro-
life corns to sucker where the land
Is well supplied with quickly avail
well distributed. Many of these
suckers will produce one or more
medium sized ears in an average
season. We would not pull the suck
ers off of prolific corn unless the
land is very thin and. poor or a
persistent drouth sets in. In that
event pulling off the suckers and
feeding them might be justifiable
A great deal of labor and effort, of
course, is involved in suckering
corn. We have found prolific sorts
much more. valuable for growth on
Georgia upland soils than the big
cared strains.