Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-08

provement must be kept in mind. We
cannot afford to deplete natures
storehouse. If we do this we rem
der our investment less and less
profitable and finally we destroy
altogether the source of our pres
ent success and prosperity.
To accomplish the ends indicated
there are several points which we
must keep constantly in mind.
First, we must provide an album
dance of feed stuffs for our peo-
pie, an abundance of food crops for
our live stock, produce a reasonable
amount of ready money or cash
crops, and maintain a rotation
which will insure the building up of
our soils. It is nay firm belief that
in spite of all the damage which
the boil weevi1 has done and the
transition in f$rm practice which
he has rendered imperative, cotton
is now and will likely remain the
south's best cash crop. Certainly
the acreage in cotton should be cut
down, but it's elimination altogether,
as many farmers now contemplate,
is wholly undesirable. We can grow
cotton under boil weevil infestation.
This fact is being demonstrated in
every section Of the state. Even
amid all the destruction which the
weevil has wrought in many COM
munities there are areas here and
there on which large and profitable
crops of cotton have been raised.
How did some men succeed when
others failed? BY taking fore
thought; by fighting the weevil with
energy and persistence; by bringing
all their resources and skill to
the solution Of the problems by
which they were confronted. The
acreage in cotton should be reduced
to from to 10 acres per pillow, but
do not eliminate it. 1t may cost us
more to raise 1t, but the chances
are that the wind will be tenn
pered to the shorn lamb" and that
we win secure better prices for
what we do produce. If we ever get
to the point where our cotton be-
comes q surplus money crop then
we will have sufficient cash avail
able on which to conduct our farm
ing operations on an acceptable
basis.
In any system Of farm practice
followed in Georgia, corn. cotton,
oats, wheat, peanuts and peas Will
constitute the principal crops. Many
other supplemental crops will be
grown under certain conditions and
frequently to great advantage. Ger
tainly we should encourage the es-
tablishment Of good pastures on as
extensive a scale as possible. All
the roughage we now produce
should be saved and utilized as
never before for cattle and other
classes of livestock. The small farm
er may not be able to engage in
stock production on amp consider
able basis. He certainly can keep
one or two mich cows, however,
a large flock of hens, and two
brood sows. If he does this he will
provide his family with an album
dance of meat, milk and eggs and
have a considerable surplus to sell
if he puts it up in acceptable con-
dition Ito meet the market demands.
On farms Of any size livestock
production can be emphasized to
greater degree, and it Is on this
class of farms, no doubt, where most
of our beef animals will be raised
in the future. There are sections
of the state where sheep can be
handled profitably and this indus
try should be encouraged. There
are other areas where dairying
will offer the largest rewards to
the landowner. 1t will be q long,
long time before we overdo the
dairy industry, so we should en-
courage milk, butter and cheese
production by every practical
means.
All the ends indicated will be
promoted most successfully through
the establishment of a scientific
crop rotation. Livestock farming
goes hand in hand with a diversl-
fled program of production. We
should never forget this fundament-
al and essential fact. In this con-
nection it is important to remem-
Der that we have two rather dis
tinct AGRICULTURAL areas in the state
of Georgia. The first of these lies
north of Columbus, Macon and Au-
grsta. and the second south OF the
points indicated.
In so far as north Georgia IS
concerned, it would appear that the
following plan of crop production
could be handled with advantage on
the one-horse or mule farm. Inc
plan is, of course, subject to al
most endless changes and .adapta-
tons to meet the requirements OF
the individual situation. The par
tic11lar environment in which the
farmer is placed will play an i'm
nortant part in determining the
exact cropping plan which he should
follow. The suggestions made are.
therefore, wholly tentative and are
subject to the widest interpreter
ion.
For north Georgia, we advise that
IN each one-horse farm Z acres OF
and be planted to corn. In the
southern part of the section indl-
Gated, velvet beans may be grown
with the corn; in the northern part,
,owpeas. In the northern section OF
his belt we would plant 7 acres
If cotton to the plow, acres OF
wheat, and acres of oats. In the
southern section of this area we
would plant 3 acres to wheat and
acres to oats. The transition in
areas Of the cereal crops is made
because Of our belief that the rec
concentrations are best adapted to
the climatic and soil conditions
which will be met with in the re-
spective areas indicated. In the
northern section the wheat and oats
should be followed by cowpeas or
soy beans for hay. Five acres might
be used for this purpose, and two
acres planted to Irish potatoes.
Peas may be grown in the south
ern section Of this belt in place
Of Irish potatoes and harvested for
seed. In the northern part Of this
belt, plant acres to soy beans and
follow with rye, and two acres to
sweet potatoes and follow with rye.
AlHE RMEn IlEn