The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1921-02-11
FARMERS IN TENNESSEE WHO PRACTICE
INVESTIGATION OF CROPS PROFIT MOST
Survey of Many Communities Shows Cover Crops Pastures
Fences and Livestock Tie Men to Land, Resulting
In Financial and Social Benefits For Both Land.
owners and Tenants as Well as Improvement
of SOi-Long Lease Is Advantage to Both
Landowner and Tenant
y McAmis Specialist in AgronOmy Division of ExtensOn


TO establish a good pasture Herein
Is the reason why most tenants sell
dom attempt It To grow livestock
proatably a constant feed supply in
amount and kind, is necessary. The
animals and the crop must fit each
other. To make them fit requires a
longer period than the average lease.
! Tenant farmers do and must of neces-
sity, stay longer on general farms
than upon one-crop farms. Cover
crops, pastures, fences, livestock, etc,
tie men to the land
Viewed from the best interests Of
rural life, the land has the first right
in landlease contract, next comes
the tenant then the owner. The soil
is entitled to the increase In fertility,
or at least its maintenance. Contracts
should be written on this basis: When
ever improvements are put into or on
the soil, belong to whoever put them
there The tenant should not take
them away but he should either stay
one the land long enough TO use them
or he should be paid for them when
he leaves. II lime lasts 5Jyears and
the tenant farms the land years, he
is entitled to at least 3-5 Of the cost
Of application in time, labor and cap
ital expended by him. If he builds a
fence that will last years and he
used It only 4, he is due half of what
1t costs him. The same is true of a
pasture or an orchard or an alfalfa
patch.
The tenant assured of payment for
unused improvement added to the soil
or farm, is encouraged to make them
naturally prefer to remain on the farm
to use them The owner is anxious
to retain the tenant instead of paying
for improvement and releasing to an
untried tenant 1t should be apparent
that there are manifest advantage In
a long lease to both owner and tenant.
More Money on Balanced Farming.
Cash" crops grown In extreme
amounts are really "credit crops"
The borrowing habit somehow goes
with one-crop farming. Any single
crop is uncertain and not the best Sc
curity. A one-crop farm can not have
a stable income because the markets
and the seasons fluctuate. A well or
ganized, balanced farm has more
stable income. A community of such
farms has stable business done on a
cash basis. Better farming and sound |
business go hand In hand. Farm i'm
provements such as lining the land,
sowing pastures, etc, are worthy OF |
credit for the amount that is required
to make them. Before credit Is given
1t should be required that at least a
part of the land be invested In Inn
provements that make the farm more
productive and hence better collateral. |
The above statements are supported |
by this survey, bearing on the tenant |
problem. This survey, while not ex-
haustlve, was sufficiently comprehen-
sive to warrant the following recon- /
mendations:
l. That land owner and tenant pro- |
vide an agreement hy which the II
Ger WIN remain longer on the land. At
least long enough to go through one
course Of good rotation of crops.
2. That well defined plan Of soil
and farm management
be made and followed-the plan. OF
course, to be flexible enough TO meet
any emergency.
3. That the tenant be protected by
an obligation on the part of the owner
to pay for improvements made by the
tenant and not used before he leaves
the land.
4 That lenders of money will en-
courage longer tenure on the land by
making loans for improvements that
form ties between the tenant and the
land.