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NEWS AND VIEWS FOR THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER
“Inland Farmer” Editor
i
Outlines His Theory on
Why Prices Are Low
The daily papes ecrently carried
a news item reporting the findings
of a committee appointed to study
the price situation in regard to agri
cultural products. It seems that this
committee was appointed during a
conference of agricultural workers
held at Washington a few weeks
ago. The report blames the Fed
eral reserve banking system for the
fall in prices. It says: "It (the
reserve system) has arbitrarily
withheld from assisting the basic
industry of this country to maintain
a level of prices that at least meets
the cost of production. It is -wrong,
as a matter of policy, artificially to
press down prices of commodities,
and it is particularly wrong to be
gin with the raw commodities, for
such a program ineviably forces up
on the producer the heaviest bur
den of reconstruction and readjust
ment. Restriction of credits, rais
ing the rate of discount on farm
products and discontinuance of the
war finance committee are the
causes of the present situation.”
Os course, this committee was ex
pected to fix the blame somewhee
and it undoubtedlv did the best it
could. It is pretty difficult to make
an intelligent man believe, howevdr,
that the action taken by the Fed
eral Reserve banks to check specu
lation and extravagance was a mis
take. If any mistake was made, it
was in waiting too long to begin.
Undoubtedly legitimate dealers in
grain found less difficulty in get
ting the necessary financial aid than
any other class of people. Just how
the federal reserve banks could pro
ceed in their plan to check reckless
spending without its affecting
prices of agricultural products a«
well as those of other products Is
also difficult to understand: Judg
ing by the report, the members of
this committee believe that noth
ing should have been done to stop
inflation. Probably they think it
woultT" have been best to let things
drift until a panic occurred. Panics
are such pleasant affairs. We also
wonder who would bear the burdens
of reconstruction if not the pro
ducers. Finally it is our under
standing that the reserve banks
found it absolutely necessary to re
strict credits in order to maintain
an adequate erserve.
Senator Capper, of Kansas, recent
ly gave to the press a statement in
which he says gambling in grain on
the Chicago board of trade is re
i.ponsible for all the trouble. Os
course, this is "old stuff.” Grain ex
changes do not determine prices, as
any well-informed man knows. They
may be an evil, but if they are abol
ished, some other system of regu
lating the grain trade of the coun
try and keeping it stabilized will
have to be established.
The farmers of this country are
dismayed at the slump in prices of
farm products. Such a severe de
cline was not expected. At present
prices may face great financial loss
and there are .few indeed who‘will
realize much profit from the year’s
work. It does seem outrageously un
fair that such a large share of the
losses incident to reconstruction
should fall upon the agriculture of
this country. It is depressing and
discouraging in the extreme. Farm
ers can not be blamed for feeling
bitter and disgruntled. It is human
nature under such circumstances to
-■believe that the low prices are the
result of deliberate manipulation up
on the part of some group of men
or some public or private institu
tion, and they are not wanting men
to encourage such a belief. The plain
facts in the case are that there is
not sufficient world demand for farm
products to take the large produc
tion of this year at high prices. The
action of the federal reserve banks,
or the activities of the Chicago board
of trade, or any other institution
had about as much effect upon es
tablishing prices of farm products as
the moon has upon the weather. Let
a few big orders for grain and meats
come from Europe and we will see
an immediate upturn of .prices. Let
the demand continue and good prices
are assured. The situation is a very
serious one for 'farmers —indeed it
is disastrous, but there is no advant-
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THE ATLANTA TRI-WEEKLY JOURNAL.
How Many Dollars
Does This Loss Mean
To U. S. Farmers?
Here are some of the losses to
American farmers in the United
States in one year by plant dis
eases which might have been pre
vented if known control measures
had been immediately applied:
Wheat, 112,000,000 bushels: oats,
50,000,000 bushels; corn. 80,000,-
000 bushels; potatoes, 50,000.000
bushels; sweet potatoes, 40,000,-
000 bushels (two-fifths of the to
tal crop; tomatoes, 185,000 tons;
cotton. 850,000 bales; peaches, 5,-
000,000 bushels; apples, 16,000,-
000 bushels. The figures were
compiled for the year 1919 by the
Plant Disease Survey of the Bu
reau of Plant Industdy, United
States department of agriculture.
Purebred Live Stock
Has Been Profitable
For Florida Ranchman
One of the most important live
stock developments in Florida is the
10,000-acre ranch owned by E. E.
Goodno, Labelle, says a bulletin is
sued by the Florida Agricultural col
lege. Mr. Goodno has recently sold
to a stock raiser at Moore Haven
several hundred grade yearlings.
These yearlings will be fed out on
the Benbow farm at Moore Haven.
In company with County Agent H.
E. Stevens, A. P. Spencer, vice direc
tor of agricultural extension, visited
the Goodno ranch recently. Mr.
Goodno’s -enthusiasm for good live
stock has induced him to make en
tensive purchases of purebred sires
to improve his herds and flocks. His
first purchase consisted of Galloway
and Angus bulls to cross on the na
tive stock. Later he secured pure
bred Angora to improve his flock of
goats. His most recent purchase was
three purebred Hampshire rams,
which cost about SIOO each. His
stock on the range have godd size
and quality and show the effect of
grading up by means of purebred
sires.
All of Mr. Goodno’s ranch is under
good fence. He has spent many
thousands of dollars in fencing,
ditching and general improvements.
He now has an abundance of excel
lent pasture grasses, and nearly all
of his animals are fat enough to
slaughter.
Lee county is proud of Mr. Good
no’s achievements, and his ranch is
one of the show places of that coun
ty. Mr. Goodno has been a staunch
supporter of every agricultural
movement for the benefit of his
county, and the results of his efforts
are now being duly appreciated.
Apple Market Facts
Information secured from apple
market investigations by the United
States department of agriculture in
dicates that relatively low prices in
laijge crop years in the beginning of
the season make for quick movement
and rapid consumption, with the nat
ural result of better season averages;
that marketing of inferior grades
along with good fruit in large crop
years is not profitable; that the ef
fective operation of grade and pack
age laws may be counted upon to aid
in stabilizing apple markets.
age in trying to mislead as to the
real cause.
Europe could use more of our farm
products and if the money or credit
were available, undoubtedly would,
Eut -we can hardly expect to sell
great quantities unless some way of
extending credit can be worked out
by our government.—Editorial from
the Inland Farmer.
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
BY DR. ANDREW M. SOULE
Marketing Crops Co-operatively
In this day and time we hear a
great deal about co-operation. Some
times I fear that the word is not
properly understood and appreciated.
Co-operation, I take it, means the
banding together of a group of peo
ple having similar interests for the
purpose of promoting and advanc
ing those interests. It means, there
fore, that the general good of the
organization, community or group of
individuals concerned is the first
point to be considered and studied.
It means that a general line of pol
icy must be , determined ' upon and
followed out. It surely requires the
submergence of individual opinions
and ideas to the good of the mem
bership which may be concerned.
One cannot expect to maintain all
his individualistic and independent
ideas and notions and be an asset fb
a co-operative society. Most of the
co-operative organizations that have
failed have done so because of the
insistence of some of the members of
a given group on exercising an indi
vidual control over the affairs of the
association. There has been too
much of the idea of rule or ruin in
jected into many of these organiza
tions, and before we can hope to
make any progress in the matter of
co-operative marketing, it is first
necessary to realize just what co-op
eration means and be prepared to
work solely for the good of the or
ganization.
The farmer is more concerned with
co-operatipn than any other class of
our citizens. Each farm is an in
dividual unit with an independent
organization. The farmer, as a rule,
pitches the crops on the farm on
the basis of his own idea as to what
should be planted without making
any effort to determine especially
what the market demands or re
quirements may be. At harvest time
he has a large variety of products of
a more or less perishable nature on
his hands. His labor is expected to
supply the needs of the world for
a period of twelve months. How can
all the great assortment of food
stuffs he has raised be quickly har
vested, wisely distributed and prop
erly stored? This has become daily
a more and more vexatious problem
as our civilization has increased in
its complexity.
At the present time we find the
farmer very often \ with abundant
harvests at his disposal confronted
by unprofitable prices. Occasionally,
he is not offered enough for his crops
to enable him to pay his expenses.
In the face of this strange condi
tion, there is a demand throughout
the world for a greater supply of
the farmer to garner and store his
crops after he had harvested and
assorted them and place them on the
market in accordance' with the needs
of the world, this condition would
be immediately changed and agri
culture become one of our most per
manent and desirable vocations.
The great question confronting us,
therefore, is how to induce our
farmers to co-operate successfully
and on a national and world-wide
basis so that they may receive a
just price for the products of their
labor and be able to supply the need
of foreign countries at a cost which
will not prove either oppressive or
prohibitive to the average citizen.
Only through great co-operative or
ganizations with plenty of capital
and warehouses at their command
can we hope to solve the present
problem by which our agricultural
industry is confronted. The success
ful storage and marketing of farm
crops, therefore, is the crucial
question of the day and hour and
the one for which we must find a
satisfactory solution if permanent
prosperity and continued production
on the basis of the world’s needs
are to be maintained. Under the cir
cumstances, it is always desirable
to consider what has been accom
plished in the past. We are not al
together without precedents on
which to build, and while only a
small beginning has been made in
this country, it is very gratifying
to know that (here are fourteen
thousand farm organizations in ex
istence in the United States which
shows that our farmers are making
some progress in the matter of or
ganizing and maintaining buying and
selling associations. It is clear that
the progress already made has blaz
ed out trails which may be follow
ed successfully by *many other
farmers'
that if this large number of organi
zations have already succeeded that
it is only a matter of time before
all farmers who establish co-opera
tive marketing enterprises may be
able to participate in the benefits
which have already been secured by
the large number of organizations
indicated above.
Some suggestions, therefore, as to
how co-operative marketing might
be organized and promoted will no
doubt be welcomed at this time. It
is self-evident in the beginning that
the individual operator can do lit
tle on his own account. His capacity
for production is limited even
though he operates on the most ex
tensive scale. At best he will raise
only a relatively small amount of
corn, cotton, tobacco or potatoes. On
the other hand, the two or three
thousand farmers who live in the
same county in which he resides
may grow thousands of carloads of
these same articles in the aggregate.
Hence, the first thing to undertake
in a given community is the or
ganization of the output in accord
ance with the demand of 'he mar
ket. Farmers have sometimes
thought that purchasers should buy
anything they had to sell no mat
ter in what condition it might be
presented to the trade. Business has
never been created or promoted by
this method. The merchant and
manufacturer strive through a study
of their constituencies to determine
what their needs and requirements
may be and then endeavor to sup
ply those needs in such an attrac
tive and alluring manner as to in
duce the pu-chaser to buy more
largely than his needs justify. In
some communities the peopi* £.“ e
a red potato, in others a white
potato. Some manufacturers require
one grade of cotton and some' an
other. Various grades of tobacco are
used and distributed according to
sectional requirements. The first
thing, therefore, before the farmers
can co-operate is to find out the
needs of the markets which are
to be supplied and then gruw and
standardize the output In accord
ance with the requirements of the
markets in question. The crops thus
raised should then be distributed
gradually in accordance with the
needs and requirements of the trade.
Through the agency of this plan, a
plentiful supply of raw raa.er.als
and foods can be insured to all
parts of the country without glut
ting the market. By this airange
ment people are uniformly supplied
at a reasonable cost with what they
need and most desire and the farm
er Is kept out of bankruptcy by
reason of the fact that he ootains
a fair price for his crops.
After having determined upon the
commodities that can be grown to
the best advantage in a given com
munity and arranged for the stand
ardization of the output, the next
thing is to provide for the packing
of the ouput on a community basis.
This will call for the establishment
of an assorting and storage ware
house. This should be built through
the attainment of a large number of
subscriptions from the individual
farmers who will be in the lon„ run
the stockholders of the concern. When
thi£ is done, a business manager or
capacity and ability must be secured.
There is a notion that almost anyone
can do this and that expert leadership
along this line can be obtained at a
very small salary. Both of these
conclusions are sadly in error. Brains
and capacity are still at a premium
in spite of all the people there are.
in the world. Business men. of abil
ity are very scarce, and they can only
be secured at relatively large sal
aries. Nevertheless, the farmers in
a co-operative organization can af
ford to pay well for service of this
character. For the addition for in
stance, of only one-fourth of a, cent
per pound to the sale P r ! _°X t l®
cotton in a county in which 15,000 to
30.000 bales are raised would pay
the farmers a handsome dividend
and provide for a very handsome
salary for the managing director.
Afetr the warehouse has been
erected and organized, then « Is
necessary to secure market informa
tion Two kinds of data are desir
able. First of all, the probable needs
of the world along certain lines
should be discovered and analyzed,
and then a planting program setup
for the community, the state and the
nation. At harvesting time the crop
ma»- be under or over the anticipated
world needs. In such an event. It is
equally desirable to determine the
probable consuming capacity of not
only the local market but of state
and national markets and the mar
kets of the world as well. To this
end, it will be necessary for the co
operative organization through its
manager to associate itself with stat®
and national market bureaus estab
lished for the purpose of gathering,
collating and supplying information
of the character indicated to such or
ganizations. When this is done the
agriculture of the country and of the
world can be put on a thoroughly
constructive basis and a safe ana sane
policv of farm production instituted
and maintained. Just in proportion
as we succeed in carrying into effect
these fundamental problems will we
solve those varied and difficult ques
tions which now confront the prog
ress of our agriculture and at times
threatens to disrupt the continued
production of food and raw materials
in sufficient variety and quality to
meet the requirements of the world.
Feeding Bearing Fecan Trees
’j. J., Valdosta, Ga., writes:
I would like to know' the best
method of fertilizing bearing, pe
can trees, about ten years old.
Kindly tell me the analysis of
fertlizer to use ancL the amount
per tree. Does it matter much
as to what source the ammonia
is derived?
Various formulas may be used for
fertilizing pecan tiees. Some varia
tion in the composition of the fer
tilizer should be made according to
the soil type on which the tree is
growing. I imagine your trees are
either growing on the Tifton sandy
loam or on what is known as the
Norfolk soil series. The Tifton
sandy loam is the red pebble land
of south Georgia and the Norfolk
series is the type of soil on which
sea island cotton was chiefly grown
before the adverU of the boll weevil.
Our idea •would* be to use not less
than 10 per cent of phosphoric acid
on either of these soil types. Four
per cent of nitrogen should be used
on the Tifton sandy loam and 5 per
cent on the Norfolk series. We are
inclined to think that 5 per cent of
potash is the minimum amount you
should use on either of these soil
types. Possibly 6 or 7 per cent can
be used with profit on the lighter
soils. Our plan of fertilizing pecan
trees has been to proceed as fol
lows: Put the fertilizer out relatively
early in the spring, shortly in ad
vance of the time when the buds be
gin to swell and develop. We scat
ter it broadcast around the trees,
keeping it well away, of course, from
the boll. In the case of a few trees,
this may be done by hand, and the
fertilizer may be plowed or raked
into the soil. On a large orchard we
would prefer to incorporate the fer
tilizer by means of a disc harrow.
We fertilize at the rate of ten to
twenty pounds per tree, depending
upon the size and age of the orchard.
We should think that ten pounds
would be little enough to use on
trees of the size you describe. If
the trees are small and backward and
the leaves not a bright and vigorous
green in color when they first ap
pear in the spring, we would be dis
posed to use a little more fertilizer,
say fifteen pounds per acre. Any
of the standard carriers of plant
food may be used with advantage
in fertilizing pecan trees. Since you
expect the fertlizer used to serve
the needs of the trees for a consid
erable period of time, it would be
just as well to use an organic car
rier of nitrogen or ammonia. Or you
may supply half of the nitrogen
from an organic source and half
from an inorganic. The two chief
carriers of inorganic nitrogen are
sulphate of ammonia and nitrate of
soda. Either one of these may be
used with impunity in a mixture
prepared for fertilizer for pecans.
Good organic sources of nitrogen are ;
cottonseed meal, fish scrap,- blood or
tankage.
Cotton Seed Versus Commercial
Fertilizer
E. J. 8., Little Rock, Ark.,
writes: Given a price of $30.00
per ton for cotton seed what
would be the approximate ferti
lizing value for a tone of 10-2-2
commercial fertilizer? Also at
'this price for seed what would
be the relative feeding value of a
ton of mixed feed consisting of
eighty per cent of hulls and
twenty per cent of meal, the
meal being worth $45.00 per ton
and the hulls $8.00?
A ton of cotton seed contains air
proximately 62.4 pounds of nitrogen,
30 pounds of phosphoric acid and 30
pounds of potash. Commercial nitro
gen can, we think, now be bought in
car load lots at around 22c per pound
of available plant food. Available
phosphoric acid will cost approxi
mately 7c. The value to place on
potash is difficult to determine, but
25c per pound of available plant food
does not seem unduly high under ex
isting conditions. Applying these
figures to the fertilizer content of
cotton seed, we find that a ton of
cotton seed would contain plant food
constituents worth approximately
$23.32. With these figures in hand,
it should be easy to determine
whether cotton seed will prove cheap
er and more serviceable if used as
a fertilizer than sold to the oil mill.
A ton of cot'ton seed is not well bal
anced as to food constitutents. You
will note that it contains about 3
per cent of nitrogen with only 1 1-2
per cent of phosphoric acid and
potash. To improve it in this re
spect, one would’ need to apply it in
association with acid phosphate and
some addition potash. Our experience
and observation has never led us to
believe that cotton seed by itself
was an economical or satisfactory
fertilizer. Moreover, the oil it con
tains is not of any value as
plant food, but rather a detriment
to 'the, soil. Personally, we would
prefer' to exchange our cotton seed
on best basis possible, take the meal
thus secured and feed it and then re
turn the resulting manure to the
soil. This will insure the farmer re
ceiving the largest possible return
for his seed under existing condi
tions.
Cottonseed hulls have a feeding
value about equivalent to a low
grade of mixed hay or possibly a
poor grade of corn stover. I would
rate these as standing one-third low
er in feeding value than a good qual
ity of timothy hay or stover. This
should enable you to determine a
fair price for hulls, based on the
comparative feeding value set forth
above. For the purpose of feeding
beef and dairy vattle, a pound of
cottonseed meal is equivalent to
about one and three-fourths pounds
of corn meal. We do not regard cot
ton seed as a satisfactory feed for
cows or beef cattle. They are too
laxative and besides that, the butter
obtained from cows fed' on cotton
seed is not of a satisfactory quality.
I think a ton of feed mixed as you
propose would prove more profitable
to feed beef or dairy cattle than cot
ton seed at $30.00 per ton, although
the feed as mixed even costs the
farmer $35.00 to $40.00 a ton.
The Merits of Oyster Shell Limo
C. A. T., Ringgold, Ga., writes:
Do you think foyster shell dust
with the following analysis
would .be cheaper than lime:
Phosphoric acid .28 per cent,
nitrogen .39 per cent,’ equivalent
to ammonia .47 per cent, lime
43.98 per cent; equal to carbon
ate of lime 89.25 per cent. I can
secure this at $4.00 per ton,
f. o. b. Ala.?
Lime is applied to land chiefly for
the following purposes: To correct
acidity which is its most important
function. It has been found for in
stance that the bacteria which as
sociate themselves with leguminous
crops find it difficult to develop in
an acid soil. Hence, when this con
dition develops in the land, it is very
difficult as a v rule to grow legu
inous crops on a satisfactory basis.
Lime is also used as an amendment
in correcting an impaired physical
condition of the soil. It is also used
for the purpose of flocculating clay
soils and making light soils more re
tentive of water. These things be
ing true, we would be disposed to
buy that type of ground lime rock or
Aground oyster shells which would
furnish carbonate of lime in the
largest quantity and at the least
cost.
We are disposed to think thaV $4.00
for the material about which you
write at Mobile. Ala., would re
quire you to make a higher outlay
for carbonate of lime than you would
have, to pay for it in a rock mined
and ground nearer your present loca
tion. Any company that is now sell
ing finely ground, raw limestone rock
will no doubt be glad to furnish you
•with an analysis of the same, and
you can easily judge whether you can
buy the carbonate of lime at a lower
cost than in oyster shells at the price
indicated. In the event you could
use a locally ground rock at a lower
cost, I would certainly purchase and
use it. One of course would only ex
pect to handle limestone in bulk.
Crops to Flant in the Fall
C. R., Atlanta, Ga., writes: I
have recently bought a farm
and am going to live on it my
self with a man to work it on
the shares. I wish to know
what crops can be planted to ad
vantage this fall, and any othfcr
information you can give me
that will be of service.
There are only a few crops which
can be planted satisfactorily in
Georgia this late in the season.
Wheat, oats, rye and hairy vetch
may still be sown with consider
able promise. It is doubtful if crim
son clover can be seeded this late
with any prospect of success. Occa
sionally, we have a very mild win
ter. Under such circumstances, late
seeding may prove fairly satisfac
tory.
We have conducted many tests
here at the college with all classes
of cereals, and we find that early
planting is more effective and prof
itable. If expecting to sow any
winter cereals this fall, we would
try and get the land in shape as
quickly as nossible. This, of course
will be difficult to do because of
the dry weather which has pre
vailed for so long a period of time
Our experience indicates that plant
ing the land before it has been
well prepared is undesirable.
Wheat, of course, should be sown
on every farm to some extent for
bread stuff. In spite of the" falling
off in the price of wheat at thi
time, the world is not over sup
plied with this cereal, and the
chances are we will need a large
•quality next year.
Oats should be seeded as soon as
nossible as they are less hardy
than some of the other cereals
They may be sown in open fur
rows and harvested for hay or yor
can seed a bushel of oats with
twenty pounds of hairy vetch and
have all the extra fine quality of
hay by cutting this cron when the
oats are passing out of the dough
stage.
Rye makes the best winter pas
ture w’e can have. It also affords
grazing and green feed for liv>
stock earlier in the spring than any
other crop. Hairy vetch does very
well in combination with rye.
One should arrange this fall to
provide all the wheat necessary for
the needs of the family and af
ford some surplus to feed to
chickens. There is no better grain
for this purpose. We should ex
pect to provide as much grazing as
possible for the wirtter and early
spring and then have enough land
devoted to oats and vetch to pro
vide all the hay possible.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER S 3, 1920.
Mules Are “Breakingßach
Os South, ” in Opinion of
This Memphis Editor
BY E. T. LEECH
(Editor, The Memphis Press)
Memphis, Tenn. —"The mules are
eating up the south.”
No, that isn’t a
fairy story, but
an actual condi
tion. I have it on
the authority of
George R. James
of this city—and
James ought to
know. He was
head of the cotton
division of the
war industries
board, and is a
millionaire mar
ch an t, financier
and farmer.
James blames
the south’s finan
cial crisis on its
mules. He de
elaies they typify
the agricultural
conditions which
maJo such a crisis
possible.
“Cotton is rais
ed chiefly by ten
ant farmers,” he
explained. “Some
of these farmers
pay money rent,
E.T.LEE.CH
but most of them
are ‘share croppers’ -who share their
cotton production with the land own
er. They farm from 12 to 15 acres
with each mule—and it takes half
of the year s crop to buy enough corn
and hay to feed the mule! On the
other half the family lives—after it
has paid its debts.”
Most tenant farmers are eternally
in debt.
Whole Cotton Industry Founded on
Credit
The cotton industry is founded on
credit. The tenant gets credit for all
his supplies from a country mer
chant, cotton broker or bank mort
gaging his crop before it is planted.
The country merchant borrows mon
ey for such credit from a city brok
er or bankers; the broker borrows
from banks; the country banks bor
row from city banks and the city
banks from the federal reserve
banks—a long line of debt.
James says if the south raised
feed for its mules and food for its
people if wouldn’t have to be eternal
ly in debt. That’s the whole nub
of the situation, he says.
The cotton states ar*,- for the
first time since the civil war, show
ing the intention of doing this—or
first raising their own food and feed
,and, second, raising cotton on the
remaining acreage. Thus, in times
of stress, the south could feed it
self and hold its cotton for better
prices. Cotton would be a “profit
crop.” Now cotton represents food
and clothing and everything else
which sustains life. •
“Food and Feed First” Being
Breached
Throughout the south this doc
trine of “food and feed first” is be
ing preached. “Diversified farming”
it is called. The farmers are le
sponding and the south will raise
the greatest food crops in her his
tory in 1921. This is the optimistic
side of its troubles of today.
A large part of the 1920 cotton
crop will be held for better prices.
If it were not for the farmers’ debts,
the merchants’ debts, the brokers’
debts and the banks’ debts, the
"holding” movement might be 100
per cent successful. As it is, the
cotton is being marketed very slow
ly. Farmers are urged not to sell
until the price advances, except in
cases of absolute necessity.
The reduced acreage cry of a year
ago has largely given way to an ap
peal for diversified crops—and the
movement is making real progress.
Its promoters claim crop rotation
and improved farming methods will
allow a greater cotton production on
an actually reduced acreage, while at
the same time providing land on
tvhich the south can raise its own
food.
Florida Farmers Are
Urged to Specialize
On Things That Pay
It is now the season of the year
when the wide awake farmer begins
planning for next year’s work and
casting about for ways and means
to make his land produce as much
as possible. Many farmery o’ r erl<'<■>’■
this important matter of planning
ahead.
Next year is going to see consid
erable change in crop values, and
there is probably going to be a slump
in prices. Therefore, it behooves
all crop producers to plan their crops
for maximum yields, says C. K. Mc-
Quarrie, state agent of agricultural
extension in Florida.
Farm labor has been scarce during
the present year, but relief is ex
pected during the coming season.
The farmer with live stock can ar
range his crop so as to have always
a good supply of feed material and
some to spare. The truckers, on
the other hand, has to depend very
largely upon market conditions and
to take chances on whether his prod
uct will be a profitable one or not. It
is a wise plan for the trucker to
arrange his crop so that, in case
of a slump in prices and lack of de
mand, his product can be turned over
to feed live stock or to be used for
the home market.
One or two activities we would like
to stress on all farmers is the-prob
ability of a good demand for hogs
for the coming year. And there is
always a good demand for milk, dairy
and poultry products. The man with
a few cows can always depend upon
getting a ready market, and the man
with a few hogs can always depend
upon having something to turn into
ready cash.
All available land should be plant
ed to small grain crops immediately .
for a double purpose; first, to pre- ■
vent leaching during the winter, and
second, the production of pasture !
for live stock. —Florida Agricultural
College Bulletin.
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Jerusalem Artichoke
Is Novel Variation
From Irish Potato
Have you ever eaten Jerusalem
artichokes? They are an excellent
fall arfd winter vegetable and. by the
way, not an artichoke at all but a
member of the sunflower family. In
some ways they are like potatoes,
but they differ just enough in flavor
and texture to add pleasing variety
to the daily meals. Before potatoes
came to be a popular standby Jeru
salem artichokes, steamed, boiled, or
made into soup were a common dish,
but nowadays they are somewhat
neglected. They are still for sale
during the fall and winter in many
city markets, and they can be grown
tn practically any home garden if
the soil is well drained.
Here are some good ways of using
Jerusalem artichokes in the menu:
Boil the tubers in salted water un- ■
til they are tender, just as you would
potatoes. The skins may be removed
either before or after boiling. Com
bine the artichokes with cream sauce,
or serve them with melted butter,
salt, and pepper.
Cold boiled artichokes make a deli
cious salad when combined with may
onaise, French, or boiled dressing
and served on a bed of lettuce or
other salad greens. Many persons
prefer this to potato salad, for the
artichokes have more flavor and are
less starchy than potatoes. Jerusa
lem artichokes may also be used raw
in salad, like radishes. They are
particularly crisp if left in the
ground all winter and dug before they
begin to grow again in the spring.
Home-Tanned Hides
Seldom Pay Farmer
Apparently it doesn't pay the
farmer to tan his own leather. The
bureau of chemistry. United States
department of agriculture, Is con
ducting leather-making experiments,
upon the scale to which the average
farmer would have to adjust his
work, and specialists say that the
results obtained thus far do not war
rant general practice. Good leather
can be made in individual tanneries,
but the results are too uncertain to
give reliable profits.
The work was taken up by the
department when it became evident
that the farmers were feeling the in
justice of a transaction wherein they
sold a whole cowhide for less than
they paid out for a pair of work
shoes —an occurrence not at all un
usual. Investigation shows that the
leather dealer is not entirely to
blame for the low prices that the
farmer receives for his hides. Too
often the hide from the farm cow is
taken off in a careles smanner that
leaves the skin full of cuts and holes
—farm hides are never as uniform
as those bought from the packing
houses, where the animals are care
fully graded and the skins removed
by expert skinners. For that rea
son the hide buyer is always willing
to pay more for the packer’s prod
uct than he can offer the farmer.
Then, too, the farmer sells, his
cowhide to the junk dealer, who de
ducts his profit from the price he
pays. Whenever it is possibleto col
lect. a number of hides and skins it
will’ pay the owner to deal directly
with a large dealer, the specialists
say. ,
Potash arriving at an American factory
Plenty
of Potash
AFTER five years of Potash
. famine there is now plenty of
Potash to be had at prices that
will permit it to be used at a
good profit.
When Potash in mixed fertil
izers was sold at five dollars per
unit, everybody exclaimed that
the price "prohibitive.”
This was a state of mind. As a
matter of fact, when the records
"of long continued experiments,
east, south, and west, were care
fully gone over it was found that
there were plenty of where
the crop increase from the use of
Potash on corn, wheat, oats,
cotton, tobacco, potatoes, vege
tables and fruit returned over five
dollars per unit, even valuing the
crops at pri ces current bes ore 1914.
Now prices of Potash are less
than one-half of these “prohibi
tive prices,” and prices of farm
products are still high enough to
make the purchase of the five to
ten per cent Potash fertilizers a
very profitable investment when
yields alone are considered
But this is not all. The shipping
and keeping quality of many of
our truck, fruit and special crops
has suffered from lack of Potash.
Plant diseaStes have increased
for the same reason.
Our, best lands have been over
worked to the limit and need
restoration.
The fertilizer manufacturer
who really has the foresight to
understand that he serves his
own and his customers’ interest
best by furnishing what his com
munity really needs will return
to the formulas that were found
most profitable for his.commun-
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ity before the Potash famine
upset things. Indeed this is put
ting the case mildly, for.provision
should be made not only to re
store the old high Potash formu
las, but to use additional Potash
tb restore the drain on the soil
during the past five years.
We never advised the use of
Potash on soils where we had
reason to believe it would not
prove profitable, and never shall
do so.
There is not a single crop on
which Potash has not been found
profitable on Many types of soil.
In the readjustment period
when farmers must use every
n*eans to assure success it is of
utmost importance that they
should not be turned aside in
their efforts* to buy fertilizers
with a reasonable (five to ten)
per cent, of Potash.
Potash Pays
and after five years of Potash fam
ine it will pay better than ever,
i It takes time to produce and
ship Potash and large stocks are
not carried works.
Therefore it is imperative that
you notify your dealer at once
what brands of fertilizer you will
require and that you should not
be induced to change your order
on any claim that the right kind
of goods cannot be secured.
Stick to it and you can get what
you know you want.
SOIL AND CROP SERVICE
POTASH SYNDICATE
H. A. HUSTON. Manarer
42 Broadway New York