Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-04-05


will, to a large extent, combine with
| the cement material, forming insolu-
BILE and unavailable compounds. 1t
would. therefore, require a great
deal more of the fertilizer in this
form to obtain equal results.
AS to danger OF loss from leach
Ing, when the materials are put on
in their natural form, I might say
that very few soils are used for pot
flowers and general agricultural
crops that have not sufficient and
often excessive absorptiVe and re-
tentive power for the fertilizer ele.
ments put on them in normal
amounts. Except in excessively
sandy lands, the loss from teaching
Of fertilizers as used under general
crops is negligible on account of the
retentive power of the soil itself.
I certainly would not consider 1t
a practical or advantageous practice
to undertake the fertilization of open
field crops with fertilizers put UP
in cement pellets, such as you have
submitted. The very cost of appli-
cation itself in labor alone, aside
from the increased cost of the ma
terial manufactured into such forms,
would make the use of the material
you submitted impractical.
Handling the Brood Sow and her
Progeny
1t is very desirable that sows be
so bred as to farrow early In the
winter. Then the young pigs can
be put on pasture in the early
spring and encouraged to rustic for
themselves and so made to gather
considerable amount of the food
they need They can then be fin
ished off with the use of a minimum
amount of grain and should be
ready to go on the market at a time
when they will bring a good price.
The second narrowing should take
place at such period as to insure
the feeding out and development of
the hogs in the late autumn. When
this Is done, more of the grain crops
gathered on the grazing area will
have reached maturity and thus
supplemental feeding will be neces-
sary. At the same time, the hogs
can be offered for sale at a season
Of the year when they are most like
ly to command a good price.
One of our troubles, here in Geor-
gia is that we do not finish out
such animals as we produce in a
satisfactory manner. We are quite
willing to let them rustic for too
much Of their food. What is the re-
suit? An understood, unfinished
animal is offered for sale. 1t will
kill out but a small percentage of
the good meat the carcass might
have been made to carry. The car
cass will not be prime from any
point of view. Hence, the price re-
ceiyed for tt: animal ill be unsat-
isfactory. The thought will natu-
allv arise in the mind of the farmer
that he is being Disseminated
against. There is a good deal OF
reason for his being so ready to
draw this conclusion, for certainly
he has never been favored by the
man who bought his products. ON
the other hand, it is well to point
out that the low price received Tor
many of our farm animals is due
to their entire lack of finish ana
quality and the man who is raising
this type of animal should never
lose sight of the fact that he is re-
sponsible for part of the dlscrlmlna-
ton practiced against him and lor
the relatively low price which ms
animals very often command. Inc
thing for us to learn In connectloh
with the program OF hog grazing
which must be instituted and prac-
ticed in Georgia is that succulert
crops constitute the cheapest, most
desirable, and the best health giving
foods we have at our command; that
we must grow and feed an album
dance of grain, and that the finish
ine, off of our animals so as to in
sure their commanding the highest
market price is fundamental to the
maintenance of this phase OF our an.
imal industries on a profitable ana
satisfactory basis. The average cot
ton farmer received last year about
$50 per acre gross returns for his
crop, including the seed. L, am pro-
posing that ten acres with some
of the land adjacent thereto shall
be made to net the farmer $2OO
through the sale of the hogs raised
and finished thereon, and at the
same time supply his family with
all of the meat Of this character
they may need. Under good condi-
tons OF management. l think he
could easily anticipate a gross in
come of $500. He is not taking any
more chances therefore in raising
pigs than he is cotton under exist
ing conditions. L am certain his
income from hogs will be as dc
pendable as from cotton.