The Mena weekly star., 1922-02-23
.ARMIOPICS
By c. IT. ALsPAuGH County Ageni.

not take mucn ol survey VI county 10 discourage one with the out look for general farming. Unless we find some system more profitable than general farming has been in the past we may expect to find undeveiopea lands. broken down fences, unJointed buildings and very few bank accounts among farmers. The system. con. demns itself. Do you believe that all farmers are unthrifty, poor business managers and have merited the defeat of their business by shiftlessness 1T not. then there must be something wrong with the system for those who have made financial success of gen eral farming in Polk county are lack ing.
 By general farming we raise staple crops in competition with the world. We find ourselves competing at dis advantage with the corn belt farmer in producing corn for sale. The pral- rie sections can produce market hay much more efficiently than we. The plains of Texas and the rich river bot toms of the cotton belt states cannot only grow more cotton per man but they can grow it cheaper than we can hope to. In view of these conditions 1t is reasonable for us to expect, one year with another, to make satistac- tory profits on these cropsT The man who quits and moves away to the promised land where profits are as- sured will doubtless find problems to be solved even there. It is the busi- ness of our farmers to discover" Polk county. It has place in econ omical production. We must find that place and solve its problems.
 In planning our cash crops this year it is well for us to keep in mind that the old economic law of supply and de- mand is temporarily eclipsed by the buying power of the consumer. The world needs cotton today but IS un- able to buy it. We must not expect high prices and it is unwise to carry more than few eggs in one basket under these uncertain conditions. IL may be advisable then to suggest a few of the cash crops which appear to be the most dependable and give promise of finding a place in per manent system of farming in the fu- ture.
 Truck Crops.
 A limited acreage of truck crops should be put out by those who are near enough to the shipping points to market there. These crops are some what uncertain but should be planted as sort of insurance. If they fail there is little lost, if they do well there is a large return per acre. The most important factor of success is market ing. The cooperative marketing as- sociation spreading over the county and linking up with other counties should secure enough acreage to es tablish market. All who grow truck crops should join in this movement and help establish a market.
 Radishes, sweet corn, Iritsh pota- toese, cantaloupes and fall beans are the most promising of these crops. There should be acreage enough in the country to make earlot shipments without any individual going in too heavy. We should, of course, all plant the same varieties and at as near the same time as possible.
 Berries.
 Berries are the most reliable and yield the best returns of any crop the writer can think of. Why does Polk county have so few of them? With berries we do not need to plant mod erately but should put out all we can care for in the right way. Strawber- ries arc best adapted to our soils which are poorest for corn, cotton ana hay crops, Light gravelly hillsides produce the highest quality of ber- ries. The fertility of the soil is not the greatest consideration in selecting strawoerry land. Aroma and klon- dyke are the two berries the market calls for We should grow them. The Aroma is little later than the klon- dyke and therefore slightly less sub feet to frost damage. klondyke be- ing earlier puts us ahead of the Aroma growing sections just north of us.
 The blackberry is easily grown and brings excellent returns It is much easier to cultivate than the straw soil. Every shipping point in the county should be putting out car loads. The leading varieties are Me Donald, Dallas and Lawton. The Me Donald is the earliest. 1t is half dewbePry and therefore somewhat harder to trim and cultivate. It needs a pollinizer such as Dallas The Dal- las and Lawton are both excellent market berries. The Lawton is somewhat later and also a little firm CT berry.
 Sweet Potatoes.
 With the advent of the commercial curing house the sweet potato has suddenly become one of our best money crops. A cooperative curing house should be provided at each shipping point. These local houses should market their potatoes thru the State Sweet Potato Exchange. These curing houses are within our reach. Let's grow sweet potatoes and estab- fish them,
 Cotton.
 Altho the cotton outlook is gloomy We should have a small acreage of cotton each year. We must improve our lint and fight the boil weevii to make cotton profitable. Under ex- treme weevil conditions our experi- ment station has found the following varieties to yield best-Improved Trice, Acala No 5, and Express No. 3O5. These strains are improvements and much superior to the original varieties. The Acala No 5 is espe- eialiY adapted to our conditions, the poorer uplsnds might do best with Improved frlce.
 ! The three varieties mentioned as second best are Cleveland, Triumph ard Lone Star.
 Hogs.
 Live stock should not be over looked as a cash crop. Recent mar ! ket reports quote light butcher weight hOcrQ ua hiUh as eln e0 ,,ox o.,,t nj.