The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1921-01-22
Negro Tenant Farmer Makes
Success by DiVersificatiOn Of
Crops.

/ Dallas, Texas, Jan. 2O.-An example
of unusually profitable returns from
diversified farming, obtained by a Me-
gro tenant is cited by ]. .. Waskom
Of Dallas in support of the idea OF
diverslfication and cotton acreage re-
fduction. The Negro is John Turner
who is a tenant on Mr.. Waskom's
farm hear Latex, just across the Tex
as line in Western Louisiana.
This man has been on Mr.. Waskom's
ually developed his own system OF
diversified farming, findin9 It profit
able in former years, even when cot
ton and corn brought high prices. This
year however, his success was so Gin
spicuous and his years operations
proved so profitable that Mr.. Waskom
belives 1t will be of advantage gen.
orally for his case to be known.
Holding His Cotton.
John Turner long ago found that
cotton did not pay every year. Thls
year he raised more than a dozen
different crops on the. fifty acres OF
by him. He has nine bales of good
cotton which he is holding for bet
ter price. - Aou
he visited the farm a short time back
to learn what the Negro had accom-
plished, and the more so by. CONTRAST
with another Negro tenant on the
same farm who struck to cotton ana
debt, without funds to finance hin
for the next year. Mr.. Waskom did
not get exact figures on acreages IN
various crops planted by turner, OF ol l
his returns, but in general his ~ thod
of farming Is indicated by the rol-
lowing:
an acre of watermelons, ana ne gov
very fine crop. many Of the melons
Sc large that he sold them Tor ~
apiece. He also raised a crop OF sweet
potatoes. had several acres IN pea
nuts, and also had crops, CT cotton
and corn with cowpeas in the m1ddles.
Ia addition, he raised chickens, turk
eys. geese, hogs and dairy cattle.
Rent and Debts Paid.
The Negro has ended the l92O crop
with With money in the bank. with his
Winters supply of meat cured and
put away for the winter, with =
barn full of corn fol, his pigs and {
For himself. his wife and little boy.
He has another barn full of peanuts
and peanut hay, has three large banks
of sweet potatoes besides those ne
has already marketed, and mas Iwens .
well as a few pigs to sell. He Is
lseepinr Cor this years stocking OF
his place the best of his poultry pigs
and cows.
All of this the Negro tenant mas
done on fifty acres of titled land hnd
about the same amount of pastur age, ;,
Turner, Mr.. WaslSom says, - con
slant reader of The Dallas Semi
Weekly Farm News, and he makes
a close study of his farming and con- CON
ducts the place on businesslike pa pa
SIS While he. with only, the helP
Of his wife and the small boy and and
some hired help, has made NOR ~ Tor
1920, the other tenant refer "a 20
failed, although he. had five adults IN
his family as hands. On the day Mr..
Waskom visited the farm, Turner had
taken 20 town LOAD os turkeys and
geese, which he sold for $40. he also
had added to his income by taking
the walnut Scrop from a tree near
his house and selling the walnuta In
Shreveport at 81 a bushel
Tie does not miss a chance to make
money out of the farm" Mr.. Waskom
said, "and at the same time his meth
DDS of farming are improving the land
ard adding to the value OF the place"