The Courier News from Blytheville, Arkansas • Page 13

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 19M BLYTHEVTLLB (ARK.) COURIER KEW8 PAGE REVIEW FORECAST This Business of Farming By H. Hf Carter Associate County How did your investment and annual cost In power and equipment for 1955 compare with the figures in the table below? Tills table shows the range in machinery investment and annual costs per 1M acres cropland equivalent on twenty Mississippi County (arms for 1955. equivalent" makes allowance for eutsom machine work done off the farm. One acre Is added to the farm's cropland for each $100 receipts from custom machine The data Is presented by deciles (10 percent groups of the 20 farms. Data for each cost item is calculated Independently of total cost.

Each item of cost includes farm ahore of auto or pick-up. Any machine hire has been prorated to other items of cost, Annual Equipment Cost per 100 Acres Cropland Equivalent Over- Repairs Gas, Oil Total Tires Grease head STOO 1000 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 2000 2600 2900 450 930 650 600 650 690 130 800 950 $330 450 500 580 610 610 6DO 180 850 1000 Cost $1900 2200 2300 2500 2700 2800 3200 3400 3800 4400 'Includes depreciation, interest on investment at taxes, licenses, insurance. High Profit Farms You may be interested in comparing your results with those of the high-profit half of these 20 Mississippi County farms. (Profitably based on labor Income per acre cropland Median figures lor the high-profit farms were: Investment $4J50; Overhead costs Repairs and Tires $530; (las, oil and grease $500- cost Tf your power and machinery costs are out of line, you may want to study the following check list for possibilities ol reducing these costs. Possibilities for Increasing efficiency and reducing costs of power mnd Can investment cixta be reduced by wiser "buying" decisions? Avoid unnecessary and unprofitable investments.

Before buying a machine, first estimate the cost of its annual use and then compare this cost with the cost of alternative methods of getting the job done. Some possible alternatives may be to (1) hire the job done. (5) buy the machine and do some custom work, (3) joint ownership with neighbor, (4) custom exchange agreements of privately-owned machinery, or (5) rto without machine continue present practice. Choost size of machine best adapted to farm situation. Compare cost of owning different size machines, in comparing these costs, also consider timeliness, quality of work, size of power unit or other equipment used with ma.

chine, and your capital position. Keep purchase price down. Bargain with Implement dealers. Look for good second-hand buys. Avoid excessive Interest and carrying charges by "shopping" for reasonable Interest rates.

Can ram fuller ase of your machine capacity obtain hifh- return, from Investment and aho keep your necessary Investment down? Do more custom work or increase your size of business. Two shifts of operators may need lor a second machine. Improve layout of fields to reduce loss of time in turning and travel, and Improve uniformity of individual flelda as to soil type and drainage conditions. Improve drainage to permit getting in fields earlier after rains. Take advantage of every "break" weather, ground, or other conditions.

Select and combine enterprises to reduce peak requirements of machinery. Use different maturing varieties TO spread harvesting season. Defoliation will allow longer hours with mechanical picker. Reduce loss of time from breakdowns by. keeping machinery in good repair and by keeping a sup- Ply of the more commonly used parts on hand.

Combine Ifght draft Can yon reduce "wear and repair" costs? Do more of your own repair and maintenance work not requiring specialization or expensive tools especially during slack season Use well-trained labor to operate the more expensive machines Improve labor management good men, incentives, proper personal relations, adequate training protection of workers, etc. Keep machinery properly lubricated and adjusted. Avoid overloading power units Example Cut only three rows of beans If four rows overload and choke-up combine. (Will reduce bean loss, too.) ProvictD ecohomTcai "storage for machinery. Ai least' prepare machinery for outside conditions by keeping machinery off the ground protecting exposed parts by treating with rust preventative greasing well, and keeping well painted, etc.

Increase in life from storage varies with the machine but averages about 10 percent according to data from Kansas State College. Annual storage costs will run about 10 percent of original building cost On this basis, storage should be economical as lone as the initial cost of machine does not ei- ceed annual depreciation and interest charge on machinery. Advantages of storage other than effect on life which are not considered in the above formula are a reduction in annual repair, better looking and better operating machinery, and a sheltered place to work on equipment. Risk of fire Is argument for dispersing equipment out in the open. Are you using the most economical fuel? With LP gas at 11 cents and gasoline at 18 cents, a total annual use of only about 10 days would lie required for each jioo higher tnvesl- ment of a 3 or 4-plow size LP tractor over a gasoline tractor to make the fuels of equal economy.

This is based upon hourly fuel consumption lisures from Nebraska tractor tests and oil nnd repair savings with LP gas from a Missouri study. Can you give better protection to stored fuels? Provide shade for storage tanks and pnint tanks white. Unshaded tanks lose 3J4 to 4 times as much gas by evaporation as shaded tanks. Use special-pressure cap to reduce evaporation loss. Evaporation Is also reduced by using smaller tanks and filling more frequently.

Use lock to prevent theft. Can you conserve fuel In Held op- eratlotis? Save tractor fuel by proper adjustment of carburetor, proper spark timing, grinding valves when needed, adequate servicing of the air cleaner, and running engine at the correct temperature. Operate tractor at as near optimum load as possible (about three- fourths of maximum load) by selecting proper speed, so far as job permits. Low draft jobs may be combined in some cases. Avoid side-drafts by proper hitching of drawn Implements.

Will also reduce wear. Can reduce the amount of Held work necessary? Avoid unnecessary tillage, both as to amount and depth. Use a rotary hoe for early weed control and to reduce the total number of cultivations necessary. Plan and carry out a weed control program that will reduce weed infestation on the farm. Improve effectiveness and timeliness of weed control.

Improve drainage and levelness of land. Use "line diagram" method for setting tractor Implements. Plant on beds of uniform width and height. Other considerations. Are you taking full advantage of state and federal gas tax refunds? Are you protecting your Investment by insuring against ruinous I oss 7 Is your electrical wiring system adequate for economical and convenient use of equipment? Can you reduce field and grade losses by Improved operation, better adjustment, and in case of mechanical cotton pickers by cultural practices that will facilitate mechanical picking? The number of pounds of lint dropped per acre behind a cotton picker ts equsl to the number of locks dropped per 12 feet of row, or to the number of mature green bolls dropped per 3 feet of row.

Four soybeans per square foot is equal to one bushel per FOR SALE 17i Acres Good Bayou Land, Large 6 Room House With plenty of shade frontage on 2 sides joins the town of across road from high Water and gas available. Idea! location immediate possession. Price $15,000. DELL PHONE 2467 BLYTHEVILLE PHONE PO 3-3388 On Missco Farms Soil Paid yields In on the two fumigation demonstrations we had west of Big Like this year. Nematodes microscopic worm) are a pest of cotton and in some ureas of the state cause serious reduction in yields.

Most ol the time fusarium wilt is also associated with nematodes and, contributes to the total loss in yields. Damage in this county Is most noticeable in "sand blows" or light sands' areas. However, damage'this year was. extensive all over many fields in the Maolla-Leachville area. On the W.

A. Williams farm, northwest of Manila, the 12 treated rows of cotton (slightly more than one acre) produced 1510 pounds of seed cotton. The 12 untreated rows produced only 952 pounds. a diffn-enco of 618 pounds of seed cotton; The cost of fumigation is about $10 per acre. On the R.

W. Lyerly farm at 12 fumigated rows produced 1821 pounds of seed cotton. The 12 check rows produced 147 pounds. This is a difference of 1074 pounds of seed cotton. I expect that several thousand acres of cotton land will be fumigated in the Manila-Leachville area next year.

Farm Bureau Convention The State Farm Bureau Convention will be held In Little Rock November 25, 26 and 27. Harold Ohlendorf, from South Mississippi County, is the state president. Earl Wildy, the county president expects that about 40 leaders wili attend the Little Rock convention from Mississippi County. If you can go to the convention perhaps you would like to contact Mr. Wildy and let him know that you can go.

They passed 58 resolutions at the annual meeting in Osceola late last month. It will be interesting to see how many of those become Incorporated in the State resolutions. 4-H Leader Roy Baker was a fine 4-H representative at the State 4-H Club Congress in Little Rock, November 2 and 3. Believe it or not he appeared on television four times and cut six radio tapes for the different radio stations while he was there. The Mississippi County Electric Cooperative kindly paid his transportation to the 4-H Club Congress, since he is this year's state winner in the 4-H electric project.

A Loac Winter It's sure going to' be a long winter for people who do not have a regular job. Sharecropping families have a lot to think about. The crop has been harvested in record time and they need employment during the winter months. How much longer can shareciop- nevs stay on a farm? Their cotton acreage is usually limited to that which ihe family can chop and pick. That acreage is not Wgger Uian It was 30 years ago, and in many cases it's smaller.

Their cost of production and the cost of living Is up tremendously but their income has been constantly limited by the acreage they can produce and harvest. This should explain some people in the towns why some farm income Is so low and why such a population shift is taking place Population Shift In the farm population in North Mississippi County was 28,500 people. In 1950 it had dropped to 23,400. By 1956 the farm population had dropped to 20,000 in North Mis. sissippi County, Considering all of the trends and outlook that we can foresee we anticipate that the farm population will be down to about 15.000 by 1965.

Sixty-seven percent of our farm population was white in 1940 and was negro. In 1356 it was white and negro. By we think the farm population will be about white and negro. Pemiscot Notes By W. F.

James, Pemiscot County Agent Right now when we've just finished harvesting the 1956 crop is a good time to do some serious planning and thinking about next year's crops. The cost of producing bushel of grain or a bale of cotton is one of the most important Hems to be considered. Some cost studies made by the University of Missouri show that bigger corn yields obtained, by use of fertilizer reduces the cost per bushel. With corn at per bushel these were the coat and profit figures under the yield situation given. 35 bu.

yield Me profit 41c. 4S bu. yield cost and profit 80 bu. yield 49c cost and profit per bushel. If we had the figures available for other crops I'm sure they'd generally follow the same pattern.

Of course it needless to add that all ttie other good practices such as, selecting the right variety, treating seed, using best cultural practices are necewu-y for these to obtained. Ellla Mercer of yourteen Bend, took my suggestion last spring and doubled the fertilizer application of about 300 Ib. 12-12-12 fertilizer to about 600 Ib. 12-15-12 on a few rows and he figured it made almost a third more. There are some places, however in the country thU year where were not changed regardless of the amount of fertilizer.

These were the areas where about 6 Inches of rainfall came between April and August. A few have reported plowing up dry fertilizer in these areas, so it's still there IRRIGATION That brings us right up to this matter of having adequate moisture so there's no "slip-up" ta this production scheme. No I didn't say we ought to jump right into this irrigation business. I'm pointing out however that it CORNY MONUMENT-This huge corn shock was built by 4-tl Club of Shelbyville, Ind, More 70 feet high, it contains some H.500 individual cornstalks. Soli Conservation Service By WILSON FERGUSON Last week Kieth Bllbrey, count agent.mentioned in his farm column that L.

H. Gaines had called at. his office inqulrlnk how to secure assistance from Soil Conservation District. Mr. telephoned the Soil Conservation Service office and made application for assistance.

The Immediate help that Oaines wanted was a survey to determine where to locate a water well and advice on how to irrigate a forty acre block of land he owns three "lilcs east of yarbo Last Thursday the' field was surveyed and a contour map prepared by the Soil Conservation Service engineers. The contour map shows that a o.ee i-uns across trie tield dividiii" appears inevitable. I was out en Bill Bolton's farm at Bragg city last week where we had a contractor with three big haulers and a giaut land plane leveling an 80 acre field. When this job is complete Bill can take the water off as well as put it on. He can insure that water will be handled to benefit his crop Yes, the cost is pretty big ye(, spread over several years it can be paid off.

J. D. Gott east of Bragg City installed a sprinkler irrigation system last spring and made 2 bales of cotton to the acre where he normally made one. Where these irrigation systems are installed two things take place. Demand, for top management becomes greater and possibility of bigger yields Is surer.

Since irrigation is rather new there may be a tendency to neglect testing the efliciency of the pump. This is something you will not catch just by casual observation. During thiE off season is a good time to find out if you've getting a vojume of water from your pump in line with the power re'quired to produce it. SECESSION VOTES At the time of the Civil Wa. Virginia and Tennessee held popular votes on secession.

Virginia favored secession four to one, while Tennessee stood for secession only slightly more than two to one. SELL US YOUR CORN MILO Pay Top Prices Farmers' Soybean Corp. Box Home of Sudden Service Phone 3-8191 LUNCHEON Everyday at the RAZORBACK DRIVE-IN Bring the Family Special Prices for CbrMren PRIVATE DINING ROOMS AVAILABLE ANYTIME 3 J3J1 Reservation. Open a.m. 'til Midnight PROTECT COTTON PROFITS WITH A JOHN DEERE CYRAMOR ROTARY CUTTER If you're singing trie vr boB weevil blues" if the pink bollwonn has you in (he rad lake tip about the practice ct Mrly italk John Gyramor S-lool Rotary Cutter will help you meet stalk-destruction doe.

a thorough fhiedding job on two at a making clean plowing Gathering scoop in downed italkt shredding al- tachment six cutting in- dead of two. And rugged condniction, the sUp-cluiched gear drive and mean greater dependability. The Gyramor is available in S-point- hitch models for lohn Deere "420 "40 "50," "60," and model for and othar trac- ton. 1W1 --T far Ih. bttodvt mom OU new hi.

a fa, Grramor ik Missco Implement Co. S. Hiwoy 61 See Us For -4 JOHN DEERE Quality Farm Equipment SAVE OUR OIL that can run down the rows bottl colter; middies a few days ago when the soil was dry to break any pan that might be present. Mr, also operates Spencer Bunch land and on ens 160 acre fjeld he has been filling pot holes for the last five years. He has now run into the problem filling loo much In places and impounding water behind the filled areas, It was suggesler to Mr.

Gaines that precision leveling will probably be (he best solution to this problem. Along with the leveling, field drains will need to be constructed to carry the water to the main ditches. This type of leveling will leave the land free of pockets and water will not be ponded more than one inch at any one place. Gaines hopes to start on this type of work next year. Assistance can oe secured from yoiir Soil Conservation District by calling at the Soli Conservation Service office located In the Anthony Building, 115 North 2nd Street, Blytheville.

Correct View Now MOUNTAIN VIEW, Wyo. little ern Wyoming community and poet office department finally agreed. For years, of town have spelled It "Mountain View" but the port office department nu stuck to one word, "MounUtavtew," The port office department finally conceded. The latest potUI guide spells It "Mountain The Friendly Yard Has GLASS E. C.

Robinson LUMBER CO. The Friendly fart" M9 Ash St. Ffc. S-49M le Ee lllnnin across the field has a slight fall from both sides of the neld to the middle naking it impossible to distribute the water with a ditch down the top of the ridge. It was decided to locate the irrigation well near the center of the field on the ridge and to distribute the water with gated pipe.

This year this Held produced about a bale of cotton per acre and Gaines feels (hat if the crop had been irrigated during the fruiting stage the yield might have been doubled. The soils in this field are Dubbs fine sandy loam and Dundee sandy loam, intermixed with small areas of clack. Dubbs is a well drained soil and the Dundee is a. mederat- ely drained soil. Clack, is sand spots that are excessively drained and drouthy These soils are grouped in Class 1 land.

Class is good and but has some imitations. They need moderately intensive treatment if they are to be cultivated safely and the soil fertility maintained. Minimum conservation treatment needed on this field is tha planting of cover crops at least one year out of three, a conservation crop rotation, returning'the crop residues to the soil and sub- soiling to break the plow pan which forms in this sandy type of soil. These treatments are included in Games' conservation plan along with the provisions for irrigation. This field planted to vetch last month and the recent showers brought it up to a good stand.

This is the third conseotive year that the field has been planted to vetch. A sub-soil WM rm i down the Excellent Buys. In USED FERGUSON TRACTORS BUSH-HOG CUTTERS JACK ROBINSON Implement Company Blythcville Arfc Plenty of FREE PARKING New Parking Lot in rear of our Store provicUt convenient parking at any or night! BARNEY'S DRUG STORE 2006 W. Main Ph. 3-3447 ASK YOUR NEIGHBOR ilf 7 i xori V.

forty acres of his cotlon which was ilized witht Arcachan Liqwid Nitrana Fertilizer. The row under Mr. Morns right hand was not fertilized while under his left was. You can see the difference fertilizer made. We been telling you kow good Arcadian Liquid but the best proof is to ask your neighbor who used Charles Sttmic J.

W. Rayder Charley Brogdon Yarbro L. T. Burnham CaslHo Bros. Gene McGntre Charley Chism W.

E. Hajan Wrldon Hooper AiMIl Seiberl A. B. Koielle K. C.

R. B. Whlfmore T. J. Richardson W.

L. Hanna H. J. Cote C. W.

Ivy Jack Garrigan Morris Ira Galnn M. F. BroirntM, Jr. Buddy Permenfer Ben Abbott H. C.

Knappenberger H. Halsell Bobby Lee Smith Denny Hammond W. F. Fitzgerald Hale Seed Farm Forsythe Bros. Cecil Johnson Billy Nelson Kulice GarreU S.

F. Perry Robert Adams Freddie Hodge B. F. R. O.

Sheppard Pan) Jackson Charley Lutes Nitrogen Fertilizer it, it last year Walter Lutes Clyde Lutes Alley O'Neil Ira Koonce James Mlddleton Sfanton Pepper Johnny oung George IKIIihuntj- John O'Neil Snlllr.n Jim Lutes Ben Bugg Garretl Talk with these men and then tee us before you make your fertiliser commitments. WE STILL HAVl WHEAT-OATS-BARLEY-VETCH RYE SEED FARMERS SOYBEAN CORP. "The of Sudden Service" N. Broadway Hutson St. BlythevilU.