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VoL XXVIII. No. 51.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1913.
Timely Farm Suggestions
By TAIT BUTLER.
Crops to Help Cotton and Not One
to Take Its Place are What We Need
" A LETTER just received contains
A the Cfollo wing statements, which
: are similar in effect to others fre
quently made: "If we canriot .make
cotton profitably because of the rav
ages of the boll weeviT," what crop
can you suggest to take its' place?
Corn is , no t a profitable crop in the
South, we are too - far south for
wheat, oats are more or less uncer
tain and on the whole no more profit
able than corn and peanuts, which
you" suggested a few years ago, have
proved unsatisfactory."
We never have and never expect
to suggest one single crop to "take
the place of cotton." In the first
place, , we do not believe .there is an
other farm crop the equal of . cotton
or that can take its place, all things
considered. In the second place, if
any one crop were to take the place
of cotton we would still suffer from
what has been the chief objection
to - our cotton farming; namely, a
one-crop system of farming, which is
always a failure and leads to poor
soils and poor people sooner or
later. J
But this is a serious question
which pur friend raises. It has been
raised often, since the coming of the
boll weevils, and while it has been
answered often, the answer has not
been satisfactory to many.
Let us briefly review the state-
- ments made in this quotation:
Is corn an unprofitable crop in the.
South? It most assuredly is, as now
grown. The average yield is less
than 20 bushels per acre and if one
third to one-half of this crop is taken
to pay the rent on the land and the
interest and depreciation on the
equipment- mules and implements
it needs no expert in farm econom
ics to see that the grower of such
a crop does not get sufficient com-
pensation for his labor to enable him
to live as an American citizen should
. live. Indeed, it is apparent that such
a crop is not sufficient to enable the
producer to live and give the neces
sary aid to the 'maintaining of
schools, roads and other necessary
adjuncts to a desirable rural life.
But there is another side to the
question. Is there any need of grow
ing only 20 bushels of corn to the
acre? Could we not, with no more
expense grow 40 bushels td the acre.
If we used a few simple agricultural
facts, which can be learned by any
body, to increase our soil fertility?
The writer believes that corn will
; Boon become a" profitable crop In the
South when every cornfield also
grows - a crop, of cowpeas, velvet
beans or some other legume," and
when every field to be planted in corn
Is sowed In crimson clover the pre
ceding September or October.
- The second statement made in our
quotation, that "we are too far South
. for wheat," is also true as regards
the Cotton Belt, and we see no means
of overcoming this natural or climat-
- lc difficulty. But what about the
third statement, that "oats are more
, ,or less uncertain and on the whole
no more profitable than corn?"
Personally, we believe oats as cer
tain a crop as any farm crop, in any
section, If sowed early in the fall on
land of sufficient fertility to be rea
sonably certain of producing a fair
v yield of any crops. That oats are no
more profitable than corn is probably
. . 'true, and it is equally true that our
" Y . ''. .... .
yield of 25 bushels or less of oats per
acre is not a profitable crop any
where. But when every oat crop is
followed by a crop of cowpeas, soy
beans or peanuts, the same season,
and these are plowed under, grazed
or harvested and fed to livestock, and
the manure returned to the land, and
then these crops are followed with a
crop of crimson clover to be plowed
under for a corn crop, both corn and
oats will become profitable and as
certain as anything in farming, which
depends to the same extent on the
weather and other conditions beyond
the control of man.
Coming to the last statement in
the quotation: have peanuts, which
we have often suggested as a splen
did crop for the South, proved un
satisfactory? We have no hesitation
in stating, with much emphasis, that
such is not entirely a correct state
ment. To those who have grown
peanuts for the first time and failed
to study the crop and cultivate, har
vest, and market it as the experience
of peanut growers proves must be
done, it has proved unsatisfactory.
But those who have tried the peanut
and given it the treatment which it
requires, and which can easily, be
learned and carried out by any man
who will accept the knowledge we
already have of the crop, there has
been no better crop than peanuts--hot
even excepting Qotton.
No one crop will take the place of
cotton, and it is perhaps well for the
future of agriculture in the South
that, such is true. What we want is
a system of cropping, or a combina
tion of crops, to take the place of not
all-the cotton, but at least one-half
the land on which cotton is now
grown; because half the land now
planted to cotton will produce as
much as we are now. growing. These
crops, which our friend rejects, if
used in connection with all the le
gumes possible, will not only take the
place of all the cotton land that
should be given up by that crop, but
such a cropping system will make all
these crops profitable, and also cot
ton, even in the presence of the boll
weevils. Such a system of cropping
will also mean permanently increas
ed soil fertility, if we spend the mon
ey now spent for nitrogen in com
mercial fertilizers in buying increas
ed quantities of lime, phosphoric
acid and potash.
more milk to pay a profit on addir
Uonal feeds, like beet pulp, it should
be added as liberally as the increased
flow of milk justifies. If a really
good dairy cow she may pay for the
addition of eight orv ten pounds of
beet pulp daily; if a. medium cow,
probably three to five pounds a day
is all she will pay for with an in
creased flow of milk; and if a poor
cow, she will-almost certainly not
pay for any addition of beet pulp to
the three or four pounds of cotton
seed meal she should receive. In
fact, it is doubtful if a poor cow will
even pay for that much cottonseed
meal, much less any addition of beet
pulp.
TheBesa Cross forPoland-China Gilts
A READER says he has three Poland-China
gilts from which he
expects to raise pigs to sell on the
local market for pork.. He wants to
know whether he should buy a "pure
bred Poland-China boar, or would an
Essex, Duroc-Jersey, or Berkshire
boar give him pigs that would grow
to a heavier weight in a shorter
time?"
If the gilts are grade Poland-Chinas,
which we assume is the case,
then, in the minds of some people, a
boar of some other breed would pro
duce better results in pork produc
tion. We do not believe that such is
the case. With grade Poland-China
gilts we would use . a pure-bred Po
land China boar. Pigs of more uni
form color, type, size and feeding
qualities will be obtained, which are
all highly desirable qualities in mar
ket pigs.
There is, however, no serious ob
jection to the use of a Duroc-Jersey
or Berkshire boar, except that the
gilts raised from such a cross will
be less valuable for breeding, unless
they are bred to a boar of the same
breed as their sire.
Beet Pulp Axl a Ration With Cotton
seed Meal and Hulls.
A READER writes: "We are feeding
dairy cows cottonseed meal and
hulls, and wish to add beet pulp;
please advise number of pounds for
cow."
Add as many pounds as the in
crease in the flow of milk will make
profitable. This is as definite as we
can possibly advise without more in
formation as to the amounts of cot
tonseed meal -and hulls fed and the
amount-of milk the cows are giving.
For ordinary cows, three to four
pounds of cottonseed meal Is as much
as should be given .daily and when
the roughage is cottonseed hulls,
probably three pounds a day is as
much as should be given as a regular
feed to a cow giving 2.0 pounds of
milk a day or less. But at least three
or "four pounds of cottonseed meal
should be given daily before more ex
pensive feeds are used. If, however,
a cow receiving four pounds of cot
tonseed meal a day will give enough
Grain Ration for Heifer Calf.
A READER wishes to know, "What
grain to feed a heifer calf two
months old, how to start feeding it,
and how much?"
The calf is already getting beggar
weed hay and four quarts of skimmed
milk per day. There is no better
grain for such a calf than corn, and
it is probably best fed whole. Put a
little shelled corn before the calf
twice a day, aiming to give only what
it will eat up from one feed to the
next; but in any case remove such as
may be left from the previous feed
ing and put in fresh corn twice a day.
Wheat bran and oats are also excel
lent feeds for calves and a mixture
of equal parts of these and corn is
as good a combination as could be
wished. But with skimmed milk and
beggarweed hay, corn, will do very
well.
As to the quantity of grain to feed,
probably the best plan is 'to keep
grain before the calf for a few days
until it begins to eat pretty well and
then, only so much as it will eat up
clean rather promptly, twice a day,
should be fed.
One pound of grain a day from two
to three months of age, and then
gradually increase to two pounds a
day and this continued from three to
six months, should not be far wrong
for a calf receiving milk and hay.
Unless it is desired to push the calf
for some special reason, two pounds
of grain a dayshould be sufficient for
a calf up to six or seven months
old.
It may be easier to start the calf
eating grain by using ground feed at
first, and putting a little in the mouth
after the milk has been given, but as
a rule, whole grain does equally as
well as ground feed.
Balancing'a Ration for Dairy Cows. .;
A READER wants to know if a sat
isfactory ration for dairy cows
can be made of the, following feeds:
"Cane ( sorghum), nay with a small
amount of cowpeas grown and cured.'
together, corn stover and shucks, and
wheat straw, as the roughage; and '
crushed oats, corn and cob meal, '
wheat bran and cottonseed meal or
cotlonseed?"
In answering this Inquiry and Bug-'
gesting a ration, we cannot forego
the opportunity to insist that for
dairy cows, silage and more legume
hays would add to the value and
cheapness of the ration. Since cow- .
peas only form a small part of the
mixed sorghum and cowpea hay, we
have no roughage rich in protein. "
We suggest, howeverthat the sor
ghum and cowpeas, being the best
roughage available, be fed as liber
ally as is possible in view of the
amount on hand and the number of
cowj3 to be fed. In addition to this
we would feed all the corn stover
and wheat straw the cows care to
eat. Unless a liberal allowance of
the mixed sorghum and peavine hay
is given, these cows will not be sup
plied with suitable roughage and at
best they cannot give as good 'results
from such rough feeds as they would
.were silage and legume hays pro
vided. If cost is not to be considered (the
prices of the feeds are not stated in
the inquiry), we would recommend
feeding equal parts, by weight, of
the crushed oats, corn and cob meal,
wheat bran and cottonseed meal, and
giving about one pound of this mix
ture for every three pounds of milk
produced per day. If cost is an im
portant item, as it usually is and
should be, then we would make up
the ration with three to four pounds
of. cottonseed meal a day, according
to the production of the cow, and
add as much of the cheapest of the
other grains as the cow will pay a
profit on in increased production of
milk. There is not much difference
in the feeding value of the other
feeds mentioned and the cheapest
per pound should probably be used,
if the cow will pay for them in in
creased flow of milk.
Aberdeen-Angus the Correct Name.
A READER wants to know if "Aberdeen-Angus,
Polled Angus, Black
Angus, and Angus all refer to the
same breed of cattle, and if so, which
is the correct name?"
These names all refer to the same
breed of beef cattle. Angus is sim
ply a shortening-of the correct name
by dropping the word Aberdeen,
while "Black Angus" is entirely
wrong, because all Angus cattle are
black when true to breed color.
The corrett name is probably Aberdeen-Angus,
but usage also gives
sanction to "the use of Polled Angus.
An extra grain of corn on each ear,
an extra boll of cotton on each stalk,
an extra cent for each dozen eggs, an
extra dime for each pound of butter,
an extra dollar for each bale of cotton.
little things within themselves
but meaning r millions to the South
each year." "Many a mickle makes a
muckle" is as applicable to increased
earnings as to the saving of what has
been earned.
The hogs that will weigh 100
pounds or more when fattened should
be prepared for slaughter, and sent'
to market as soon as possible. It Is
not a wise plan to feed them during
the winter and run risks of catching
diseases for extra growth.-Wra;
Hart Harrison.
He who dot wrong, doti wrong: against
himself.-Marcus Aurellus.
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