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A REDUCTION IN
THE COTTON AREA
COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULT
URE STEVENS ESTIMATES A 15
TER CENT REDUCTION.
GOOD WHEAT BUT POOR OATS
Farmers Urged to Utlllsa Every Avail
able Acre of Lead By Planting
It la Cowpens.
Department of Agriculture,
Atlanta, Jane 80, 1899.
Slnoe oar last letter many changes
have taken place on the farm, and much
good work has been done in most all
sections of the state. The harvesting of
wheat and oats began some weeks since
in South Oeorgia with a fairly good
yield of wheat, bnt the oat crop will be
short, owing to the fact that the
weather conditions for both fall and
spring were anpropitions for seed
ing, and many sections have suffered for
the want of rain in May. From our crop
reports it will be seen that the acreage
in corn has been very materially in
creased this year, amounting to 24
per cent over last year. Wheat shows
an increase of Ilf per oent. It wonld
have been muoh higher had the weather
conditions for seeding laBt fall been fa
vorable. We are encouraged to believe
that in the future Georgia will raise hey
own corn and wheat and have this grain
ground into meal and flour by u/ills
within the borders of our own state.
Why not? Oan we afford longer not
to do so?
Now, when you have harvested your
small grain crop, we would urge the
farmers to utilize every available acre
of land by planting it in cowpeas. The
cowpea is the salvation of oar wornout
and wasted lands, it is the salvation of
our uplands, our lowlands, our rich
lands and our poor lands—we believe,
too, that it will be the solution of the
fertilizer question. Plant one-half your
land in peas and in five years you can
curtail your expense for guano one-half,
and your crops will yield as muoh as
they do under the present system.
After trying this plan for ten years
we believe that you would And it
necessary to buy very little of the
high priced ammoniated guanos, if
any at all. In some way we mnst de
crease the purohase of commercial fertil
isers, and this, in our judgment, can be
done by planting large pea crops and
making your own guano at home. This
cannot be done at once, bnt could be
accomplished in a few years. Won’t
ybh' begin now—this season—and plant
your lands in peas? We can only hint
at these matters, and cannot take space
to elaborate them. Won’t yon make
this a memorable year for a large pea
crop, and thereby not only improve
your lands, but obtain a splendid forage
crop besides?
REDUCTION OF COTTON ACREAGE.
We are glad to announce a redac
tion of thb cotton acreage, not only in
Georgia, but throughout the entire oot-
ton belt. There has also been a
redaction in the amount of com
merciol fertilizers used. While the
reduction of cotton acreage has not
been as large as we might have
wished, still we have made a good
showing. For the season of 1807 and
1898 Georgia used np to June 1, 1898,
about 483,000' tons of oommeroial fertil
isers. For the season of 1898 and 1890
Georgia used up to June 1, 1899, abont
885,000 tons, or 21 per oent less than
last season. last season Georgia spent
the enormous sum, in round numbers,
of 88,500,000 for oommeroial fertilisers.
For this season Georgia spent abont
88,750.000 for commercial fertilisers.
Thus about 81,760,000 have been saved
to the farmers of this state. We mnst
not forget that a considerable amount
of the fertilizers for this season
was used in the increased acreage
of wheat, and other crofce than cot
ton, for by reference to our crop re
ports it wfll be seen that the wheat and
corn acreage has been very materially
increased. Henoe we can safely esti
mate that the amount of oommeroial
fertilizers has been rednoed 85 per oent
as applied to the cotton crop alone. We
note with pleasure that other states
have also rednoed their ootton acreage.
In our judgment, the rednotion of the
ootton aoreage in some of the
states is greater than is shown by
the reports of the United States
Agricultural Department and those
issued by Latham, Alexander A Co.
We have been in direct onmmnni.
cation with the Departments of Agri
culture for the various ootton producing
states, and from the information re
ceived from suoh sources we are led to
believe that the ootton acreage for the
entire cotton belt has been rednoed at
least 15 per oent this season. We are
mindful that other souroea jIrot this
reduction at only 10 per oent. but we
believe that time will prove that wean
right in this estimate.
The Georgia State Board oUSatopud-
WILL THEY
Five Prospective
Railroads.
Outlets.
Norh, East,Southeast,
South and West.
CO!
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JiSin^LKS“Uw^f\CLAYTOIV
•It a
ogy has reoently Issued a buIletlFdeil-
ifig with the inseot peats and fungous
diseases, designated as dangerously in
jurious to plants, with suggestions for
remedial work, for distribution among
the farmers and fruit growers of the
state. This publication will be sent
free to all inch interested persons who
make application for it to W. M. Scott,
State Entomologist, Atlanta, Ga. The
bulletin should be of great interest, not
only to those who are already troubled
with these pests, but alio to those whose
premises are at preseat apparently free.
O. R. Stevens, Commissioner.
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THE VALUE OF PEA&
Interesting Article on This Crop Wl|
Practical Suggestions For Plant,
log and Cultivation.
Much bat been written in su
slve years concerning the preservati
and npbnilding of the farming lands
the south. Necessarily this quesl
Is one of great importance, as
have for years been growing cotton
the exclusion of other useful or,
paying so much attention to what
called “the moneyed crop of the south 1
and giving hardly any attention to
wear and tear of oar lands. Of ne6essl
the cultivation of a cotton crop is one
clean oulcnr , which lets the summer'
cun and winter’s rains bleaoh our lam
of the elements of plant food that
■acessary to the preservation of tl
land thus cultivated.
The best informed and the m
scientific farmers understand that
preserve their lands they mnst fur- 1
nish such quantities of plant food
as will replace that which
been taken from them by the oro]
grown dnring the year. It has been
a favorite method to try to repair
the drain npon the land by furnishing to
the orops an artificial plant food com
monly known as '‘Commercial Fertil
isers.” We are willing to admit that
the nse of these "Commercial Fertil
isers” benefits the growing crops, bnt as
above stated, tho clean culture lets the
summer’s sun and winter’s rains bleach
out the remainder, so that we are
obliged to depend upon artificial means
to glvo oar crops the supply of plant
food necessary for succeeding crops.
Each year requires more and more fer-
tilizer per aero iu order to supply the
demand made by nature.
The question arises how can we hope
to keep our lands iu a high state of cul
tivation; how can we give in return
more than wo have taken away?
Year by year our land degenerates,
and as a consequence we become poorer.
What shoaid we do to remedy thie evil
and fill oar barns?
The only answer is, save what you al
ready have and lay by somethihg for
posterity. This can bo done on the
farm to far better advantage than in
most any other profession.
This question must be looked squarely
in the face, as any other bnsinesa
profession.
My advice to tho fanners at this sea
son of the yeur is to plant peas, not
only for feeding purposes, but os a ren
ovator of tbeir lauds.
Plant enough peas in your corn for
seed for another year and sow the rest
of yonr corn, oat and wheat lande
broadcast for manuring purposes.
Our common peas are mostly on air
I plaut They absorb the nitrogen from
, tho air and deposit the same in their
. roots, so that they furnish ammonia tar
another season. The vines or woody
1 matter furnish potash and loam,
j as well us prevent the washiag
I of tho soil already mado. Years of ex-
! pat ience shows that this plant hot oalv
i renovates ike land, but is an m ns I lex I
! forage crop.
Now as to the cultivation of thie vai-
j cable crop I wonld suggest, for the pur-
i pose of raising seed for another season,
! that peas be planted in the middle of
i the rows when yon lay by your oom
at the third plowing. When the peat are
about 6 inches high take a short scooter
or ripper with an 18-inoh sweep and ran
on either side, thns giving the peae one
plowing, which will besnffleient, as the
corn will shade the ground so as to pre
vent the grass from growing too froely.
Or if you desire not to molest your
corn, then when you cut off your grain
plant your peae in 3-foot rows and cul
tivated you do corn or ootton. Two
plowlngs will make them. Gather
them and let your vines rot on the
ground, thus building np j onr land and
gathering enough to plant another year
and for feeding purposes.
For manuring purposes sow broadcast
in the corn when yon lay by, also over
the small grain lands, thoroughly break
ing same. Sow from 3 peoke to 1 bushel
per acre. Allow the peae to get thor
oughly ripe end turn same under during
the late fall. f
If yon desire to out them for hay it
should be done when the pea-pods be
gin to ripen.
I will write an article later oonoern-
ing oaring pea bay, as this article is in
tended only to urge the farmers to see
the necessity of bringing up their leads
and at the same time filling tbeir
barns. If we will only use the menu
we have at hand and work with energy '
and petienoe we oan truly make this
the garden spot of the world*.-
I advise the nee of the following peas;
The Unknown, the Olay, v Bad Ripper
sad Whippoorwill.
Again let me urge every farmer to
plant largely, and if ha oan procure the
•ead'eow every foot of available land
la this (nature’s) subeoiler.—State Ip
rioultaral Department.