Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-05-10
With and Without Fences

~
Z Whenever a community is found
in which particular type of farm
management is being extensively
practiced, one may be reasonably
sure that it is pursuing the most
profitable type of procedure for the
majority of farmers to follow. In
the years gone by, Georgia fairness
! found cotton their most profitable
crop. Hence, our farmers grew all
the cotton they possibly could. When
the boil weevil came along and
forced them to change their practice,
the resulting disorganization was
very great, and it has taken some
years to effect a desirable measure
of readjustment, The progress made
in many sections is still pitiably in
adequate. To students of our
economic situation, however, it is
clear that we are making progress
and that probably the worst of our
troubles in respect to the transition
period which our agriculture has
been forced to pass are now over.
The obstacles which our farmers
have had to overcome has been very
great indeed, ana l have no sympa-
try with those who have evidenced
"A degree of impotence that more
rapid progress has not been made.
In the old days, fences were unnec-
essary. But at the present time,
when an attempt is being made to
emphasize livestock production,
they become essential. Have you
ever stopped to think what a revo-
luton from the farmers point of
view this constitutes? Have you
figured up the labor and the cost
involved in effecting this transfer
nation? Has any one made an at
tempt to formulate plans whereby
the difficulties of the farmers in re.
spect to meeting the existing situa-
ton could be mininized? think not.
SSuch work as has been done along
this line is of recent origin and has
been instituted by they Georgia State
College of Agriculture, the experts
of which have the following sug-
gestions to offer relative to the or
ganization of a farming program I'M
der the conditions which now per.
tain.
One of the big obstacles which the
farmers in some sections of south
Georgia meet in adjusting their
farming system to boil weevil con-
ditions is the lack of fences. Where
the local laws permit livestock to
run at large, farmers have been
forced to fence their fields. These
men have found little difficulty in
making the necessary adjustments
because hogs could be grown cheap
1y on peanuts and velvet beans. In
other sections where stock laws re.
quire that livestock be kept up, it
has not been necessary to fence the
fields, and hog raising is more ex.
pensive to start. The following plan
has been prepared for those who
have their fields fenced. 1t is mere
1y an outline of what most of the
more successful farmers are now
practicing.
Cropping System for TwO-Muie
South Georgia Farm Where
10 Are Fenced
Crops Acres
cotton .......-........ ........ 10
Corn, peanuts and velvet beans. 20
Oats .......s....... commence. s
Wheat on heavy soils ......... a
Cowpeas after wheat and oats d2)
Additional cash crop .... -. 5-10
Grazing crops for 8 sows and 80
pigs:
Early corn and Spanish peanuts
Oats and rye ................ Q
Sweet potatoes and peanuts :. 81
Millet and sorghum ........ 2
Home supplies ............. 2 IL
permanent pasture ............. 1O
In this system, cotton and hogs
are the two important enterprises.
The fifteen acres Of cotton is about
all the average farmer on two
mule farm should risk. Should more
be planted, it could not be properly
cared for if the season turned out
to be unfavorable. Three sows with
good attention should produce two
filters each year, which, with an
average of five pigs per litter, should
give thirty pigs. The suggested
cropping system will provide graz
ing crops and sufficient corn for that
number of hogs. 1t also provides
corn, oats and hay for the work
stock and milk cows and feed for a
small flock of poultry. If the farm
land is not suitable for wheat, that
crop should be omitted. Only the
heavier types of the Greenville and
Triton soils will ordinarily produce
wheat profitably in south Georgia.
( For minor cash crop to supple.
ment cotton, the farmer has many
crops to choose from. Those sug-
gested for this system are Spanish
peanuts, sweet potatoes, watermels
ons and sugar cane. There are
many truck crops which can be
grown in south Georgia, but they
require too much attention to be
handled successfully on a general
farm. Their place is on a special
=