The Hereford Brand (Hereford, Tex.), Vol. 4, No. 30, Ed. 1 Friday, September 9, 1904 Page: 1 of 8

The Hereford Brand
Vol. 4
HEREFORD, TEXAS, SEPTEMBER 9. 1904
No. 20
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HEREFORD, WORK FOR THE COLLEGE
6
#
c
tí
o
t-1. • .<82
¿4^
is
CARSON'S^ ADDRESS
Delivered to the Farmers of This and Surrounding
Counties at Hereford, September the 3rd.
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Spoken to the Tillers of the Soil—Tells Them They Can Produce
Almost Any Crop and That He Believes Cotton Can Be
Produced Here at a Profit to the Producer.
Ladies and gentlemen : When I
had the pleasure last February of
coming up here, it was a good deal
like Congressman Stephens said this
morning, I was impressed that this
was a dry country and town, but I
have made a good many observations
during the last week, and I have ob-
served that it does rain in the Pan-
handle. This is not a drouth-
stricken country. The further south
you go you will find everything
burning up. We have our drouth
during the summer time, when here
you are blessed with plenty of rain.
Now, some say we don't get enough
rain here, but from what I have
seen I believe this plains country is
bound to be the coming agricultural
country of Texas.
You have very fertile soil here,and
you can grow almost anything you
put in the ground, and I observe it
takes very little work; but I be-
lieve if we would work more, we
would be more successful. I don't
believe we work enough!. I don't
Relieve we stir our soil enough ! I
Jon't believe we appreciate the
value of this dust mulch that I talked
to you about when I was here before !
I would encourage the better culti-
vation of the soil—better prepara-
tion of the soil, and begin early
enough. Those wto plant wheat
should have their soil broken, and
then by harrowing it you will be
ready to plant your wheat. I be-
lieve you can make wheat growing a
success here.
Now I am not so well pleased with
corn growing here. It seems the
worms gather it. We get a cob,
but sometime the grain is not all
filled out, although I am told that
good crops of corn have been raised
here, 35 to 40 bushels per acre.
culls, but his cut backs. He tells
me that off of one-fourth of an acre
he ha's sold about $75 worth of
onions, . and that's $300 an acre.
Ladies and gentlemen, that would
astonish the people of my part of the
state. There is $300 per acre off of
about $5 to $10 land. It won't be
but a few years until this land it go-
ing to be worth $10 to $15 per acre.
I can remember when the black
lands of Ellis county sold at $5 and
less per acre. I can remember
when we looked on that part of
Texas as only fit for grass, and we
thought it was impracticable to try
to farm. I believe, and it is not far
distant, in fact now, the immigra-
tion of Texas is increasing rapidly
and there will be more immigration
into the state within the next five
and ten years than there has been
in the past thirty, especially this
part of Texas is going to attract the
people of the east and north, and it
is not only going to do that, but it is
attracting the attention of the people
of East Texas, where the boll weevil
are eating us up.
Now ladies and gentlemen, I be-
lieve these onions were just planted
with the planter in ill prepared soil,
and you see they will make about
$300 per acre. The man said he
broke his soil and planted the black
seed in May. Now in the south
part of the state they grow the Ber-
muda onions, and they irrigate there,
but these were grown without irriga-
tion. They get from two to two and
one-half cents per pound. It is pos-
sible to grow 10,000 to 15,000
bushels per acre; figure that at two
and one-half cent per pound and you
can see that it is a fine crop.
Now ladies and gentlemen, I
hardly know what to talk to you
But, gentlemen—and when I say about, the possibilities of this coun-
gentlemen—I mean the ladies too, try are so great, and it seems that
because the gentlemen embrace the 1 you farmers understand that you
ladies. (Laughter.) ¡ have got a good country. As I have
Now gentlemen, as I have said to said before, I believe you are trying
several farmers since I have been to put too much land in cultivation,
here, why attempt to grow this that is, one farmer puts in more than
Indian corn? It is true in the east he can work. I have seen 300 acres
and north, they have to grow corn ! in cultivation and only two hands to
for feed, but you have in this milO|dothe work. Now I believe with
maize something that is equal to 150 acres in cultivation, and the soil
Indian corn. By actual test it con-1 prepared well the man could produce
tains only about one-tenth less value j a surer crop and get just about as
per pound than corn. It is a much ' much per acre, and he would have
surer ^fcrop to grow than corn. 1 his grass land left.
Therefore you can compete in grow- ¡ This country is bound to become
ing feed-stuff with the corn belt. If ¡ a country settled up by farmers and
you cannot grow Indian corn you are ! will be settled ud bv sprtinn
none the worse off, because we have
a good substitute. The kaffir corn
does not produce quite as much
grain, but it is a good crop. Both
of these crops are very fine forage
crops. So you have a good grain
and forage crop in both of the3e.
Now when it comes'to the small
grain, I have seen some very fine
oats grown in this country. I saw
some mihet on sod that will produce
one-half to two tonp per acre. I will
tell you when we can grow such
crops as these, it is bound to be a
good stock farming country.
Now when it comes to truck farm-
ing, as thesp onions and other things
will attest, it is a most admirable
place for growing truck crops. . I
believe you can make this a great
truck farming country. Mr. Harbi-
son said, "Gentlerien, Iwant you to
understand that those onions were
my sut backs." These are not his
m
men. It has already been demon-
strated that a man can do well with
a quarter section. When you have
a farmer on every section of land
Hereford is going to be a city.
Amarillo is going to be one of the
greatest cities in the country. In-
vestment made anywhere in this
part of the state is going to be a
magnificent investment. I under-
stand the Panhandle Christian Col-
lege has some lots here for sale.
You can't make a better investment
than to buy some of these lots. You
make a good financial investment
which is going to pay you.
I have a piece of paper here that
was sent up to me a few minutes
ago, asking the question: "What
would be the financial result
farmer, of converting the pea r
into a pea field?" Now ladies and
gentlemen, I am somewhat of a pea
crank, and I am glad that the gen-
1;
tleman that sent up this question
knew that. We don't grow enough
peas. Peas and alfalfa have that
property of extracting nitrogen from
the air, and it is one of the most
valuable elements of plant food, and
the pea has the power of getting
nitrogen from the air by a certain
bacteria that exists and lives on the
roots of the plant. If you will
examine the pea root or clover root
when theyare doing best, you will
find small nodules where the bacteria
has stored up the ritrogen, and that
I enriches the soil and builds it up.
We are inclined to be as all the
old states, we are inclined to be soil
robbers. We don't think enough of
the coming generation. We don't
think enough of taking care of our
soil as we should. Some of our
farmers will say, this soil is rich,
you can grow Kaffir corn, milo
maize, sorghum, etc., year after
year and still grow good crops.
Gentlemen, that is bound to play out
in time. You might have ever so
much money in the bank, and if you
would keep drawing out and never
put any in, your bank account would
soon be drawn to the limit. By
planting such crops as cow peas,
alfalfa and clover it enriches the
soil, and by turning under green
crops you are supplying the soil with
humus. It keeps the moisture from
getting away and and keeps the
land from baking. Peavine hay is
about as rich as alfalfa or red clover
hay. While not a great deal of it is
sold on the market, nevertheless it
is appreciated and it is sold very
readily in our part of the country.
Your work stock will do well on this
hay. So I say it is just the crop,
and you should convert your pea
patch into a pea field. In some of
the older states they have worn out
their soil by the-continued use of one
crop. In some places they have
worn it out with cotton, and now
they have to use commercial ferti-
lizers. This brings me to a point
where some of you farmers may dis-
agree with me, but I believe that the
system you have of running your
stock in the fields to clean them out,
is a bad system. I believe it would
be better if you could turn under
some of that vegetable matter. Now
it matters not how dry a soil is, if
cattle are running in a field, it makes
moisture rise to the top. I believe
it is better to grow these crops and
feed your cattle than to let them
run in the fields. I believe it would
be a better system than to let the
cattle run in the fields and pick up
everything clean. This soil in the
Panhandle, as some government
official has remarked, is not very
rich in humus. It really needs
humus in the soil and all the vegeta-
ble matter you turn under the better
it is for the soil.
Now gentlemen, I believe that
here is a crop that can be grown
successfully here—that is beets. I
don't know anything particularly
only what I have read, except about
the sugar beet. It occurs to me that
they should do well here.
This plains country is very much
in need of an experiment station, and
you should have it to test all these
different things. This is án agri-
cultural country up here, but it is
practically undeveloped and you
beed an experiment station. I be-
lieve it is forth coming. I don't
believe it will be long until you will
have an experiment station estab-
lished.
I wish to say that from time to
time I am going to write articles in
the Amarillo Herald. I do this by
the solicitation of Mr. Vanderburgh,
whom you all know. He invited me
to come into the Panhandle country
añd to get all the information possi-
ble and write articles for the
Amarillo Herald. The Herald is
paying all the expenses. I believe
you should all appreciate what the
Herald is doing. Mr. Vanderburgh
is trying to work up a magnificent
u me paper, and I hope you will all ap-
patchj«Prec>ate it. I think he should be
commended for the work whether it
is doing a great deal of good or not.
He is doing his best.
RdJ: '1 V1 • 1 • ,,
v«T
/ .7/ •, -i&jr
Ml- .*¿$5 •/-<'
I don't want to talk too long. I
don't want to feel like the young
man did. I will just tell you a little
story. Once there was a young mar
very small of stature, and he made
up his mind that he would not court
a young lady unless she weighed at
least 200 pounds. He finally found
one that suited him—she weighed
225 pounds. He went to see her
one evening, and finally the old
folks got tired and went to bed. Sc
the young people turned down the
light, they were economists, both
of them. They believed in saving
the furniture too, so they both oc-
cupied the same chair, but after
occupying this position for about
half an hour the young man sighed,
and she turned to him and said, my
dear are you tired. He said no, I
am not tired now—I was about half
an hour ago, but now I am para-
lyzed. I don't want to worry you
all, I don't even want you to get
tired.
But now lauies and gentlemen,
here is a crop that I have got about
80 acres of (picking up some
alfalfa.) Of course this alfalfa is the
king of crops. It will produce as
much as six to eight tons per acre.
We get about four or five tons a
cutting. I understand from Mr.
Graves, who furnished me this
sample, that it is the third cutting.
This growed on sub-irrigated land.
If that land was all put in alfalfa, it
is worth $100 per acre to the man
that puts it in. He will get about
$50 worth of hay per acre. So you
can see it is worth about $100 per
acre. Now can this„ be grown on
upland? I believe by preparing the
soil we can get pretty good alfalfa.
I have seen some growing on up-
land. I would advise previous prep-
aration. If you want to prepare the
soil, start at least a year ahead,
break your land very deep, and
don't put it on sod land—put it 011
the oldest land you have got.
Break that just as deep as possible
and subsoil it. Plant it in these
cow peas or any kind of peas and
raise a crop of peas off the land.
You can harvest the peas for hay
and then turn them under as soon as
you get the crop off. Now it may
be on account of your not having
much rain in the winter, you had
better plant later on, say the first of
May. By planting your land about
a year ahead in peas it gives the
land time to firm down. You don't
want a soil too loose to grow any-
thing in. There is no kind of plant
that takes root well unless the soil
is firmed down—not hard, but fimed
down. I know a man who had some
alfalfa and thought he would test it,
so he let his cattle and hogs and all
the stock in the field, and he said
they could very near eat it up by
the roots. But you should not pas-
ture it until after the first of the
year. I believe this can be made
a paying crop, and it is another soil
builder. We h&ve had lands to
overflow in the Brazos bottom where
we had alfalfa on them and you
could see to the line where alfalfa
was grown. (Question from
audience.) "How deep would you
subsoil it?" Ans. 12 or 14 inches.
The gentleman asks about a cer-
tain bacteria that is necessary to be
on the roots of this alfalfa to make
it grow successfully. I will say
that in most parts of Texas alfalfa
seems to grow well. If your alfalfa
is not doing well you can go to a
field where the alfalfa is growing
well and gather some of the loose
dirt just on top of the soil and scat-
ter it over your alfalfa. Now Mr.
Marshall is here, and if he can talk
anything like he can eat, I believe
he could talk an hour. But if there
are any questions, I would like to
answer them.
I want to say here before I
forget it, that you have righUtere in
your midst, one of the best little
newspapers that I have ever seen in
a town of this size. I would say
more about it but Mr. Ray is sitting
here and it might make him a little
vain—he is a young man anyway.
We should support our newspapers.
It helps more than anything. Of
course newspaper men want more
deople in the country so they can
get more subscribers, but at the
same time they work hard and long,
and we should support our news-
papers.
Here is a product that I know all
of you can grow (here he picked up
a cabbage). I want to say before I
forget it, this truck farming presents
something of vital interest, with
your Farmers' Institute organized as
it is. I believe if you would all get
together and decide to plant a suffi-
cient amount of these crops so you
could ship them in car load lots,
there is good money in it. By pay-
ing express rates it would eat it up.
You could grow this so you could
ship it in car load lots. In that way
you can build up a great truck
farming country right in your midst.
With shallow water like you have
here you can irrigate as much, as
one acre of land. If one mill won't
pump enough, put in two. I under-
stand it don't cost but about $100 to
put in a well. With two wells you
can pump a lot of water. Don't
think you can glut the market.
Chicago uses nearly 100 cars óf
potatoes for breakfast, and all the
larger cities in proportion. The
onions of south Texas are nearly all
shipped out in car load lots before
yours are ready to harvest here.
Mr. Howard says,call attention to
the cabbage. If gardens were here
to speak for themselves there would
be no use to say anything about cab-
bage. One man told me that off of
two or three rows he sold $15 or
$20 worth of cabbage. And he
don't come in competition with oúr
south Texas country. Their cab-
babbage have been gone sometime.
You can make money out of cabbage
and you can grow them with very
little irrigation.
I had about forgot the cotton. I
have about 600 acres in cultivation,
and the boll weevil have made me so
sick that I don't like to think about
cotton. Here is a good stalk of
cotton (showing a stalk of plains
cotton to the audience). I was talk-
ing to a gentleman from Dallas
county. I don't know how much he
had in, but he said if he had in 10
acres he thought he would make five
bales, or nearly a half bale to the
acre. Now what cotton I have seen
in this country I estimate that it will
make a bale to four our five acres.
But I understand that you were very
late this season in planting cotton on
account of rains. I believe if you
can plant your cotton three weeks
earlier than you did this year, you
will make plenty of cotton. There
is one thing here in working any
crop—one man can work about twice
as much as he can further south.
We have to begin there in the lat-
ter part of March or first of April
and in order to keep the weeds down
we have to work it on until the first
of September, when you only have
to work it here about two or three
months. So I believe it is certainly
worth further trial. It has been
demonstrated that a little ways
south of you, crops of half bale to
the acre and better than that can be
grown. I believe you ought to grow
cotton—at least some. Of course,
I recognize that this country is a
stock country, but farming can be
made profitable.
I will ask Mr. Marshall to refer
to the hog industry when he gets up.
I believe you can grow hogs here.
With potatoes and other root crops
you can make this a great hog pro-
ducing country.
(Question from audience).
Q. "What will kill cabbage lice
off of cabbage?"
Ans. I wish sometime that I was
a walking encyclopedia. When one
comes from the A. & M. College
people think he ought to know
everything. We have a man down
there who attends to this special
department. If we get a letter of
inquiry about .things like this we fire
it right over to him. By sending
down there for one of our spray
calendars you can find out about
this.
Subscribe for the Brand and
Semi. Weekly News—$1.75.
■