THE ALABAMA OPPORTUNITY. 115 



The diversification farm located on the place of general Alun - 

 ford and worked under the supervision of the Washington Ag- 

 ncultural department came to the Canebrake through the in- 

 terest and public spirit of Judge W. H. Tayloe, who, when he 

 ascertained that the Agricultural Department was making diver- 

 sified experiments throughout the country wrote the depart- 

 ment and suggested to it the suitability of establishing such a 

 farm in the Canebrake. As a result of that correspondence Pro- 

 fessor Spillman, one of the department experts, came to Union- 

 town. He was met by William Munford, a son of General 

 Munford, and agent for the fine place of 2,500 acres near 

 Uniontown, and oflfered the use of a part of the Munford place 

 for such land as might be needed for the diversification farm. 



The Government's policy in regard to these farms is to 

 furnish the planter with the seed and half the fertilizer for 

 the first of the year and to give the farmer the benefit of all 

 returns from the farm. On his part the farmer furnishes 

 the soil and the labor and in addition he keeps a close record 

 not only of every lick of work struck on the farm, but of matters 

 which relate to the diversification farm. 



DIVERSIFIED CROPS. 



The farm on the Munford place embraces forty-four acres. 

 It is an object lesson in opposition to the policy of one crop. 

 The Authorities of the Agricultural Department at Washington 

 have gone on record in opposition to the one crop idea, whether 

 it be of corn.- of wheat or of cotton. They think the policy of 

 a farmer, putting all his eggs in one basket is unwise to say the 

 least of it. 



The forty-four acres which are devoted to the diversification 

 are largely given over to forage crops. Here, too, alfalfa has 

 the call. Nearly half the farm, or twenty acres, is planted in 

 alfalfa. The diversification farm has shown not only that al- 

 falfa may be grown profitably but it has demonstrated the fact 

 that hogs can be pastured upon alfalfa without destroying its 

 hay producing capacities. In one small field of alfalfa on which 

 fourteen hogs have been pastured, five tons of fine hay have 

 been cut. Mr. Munford has' on his place forty-three fine Berk- 

 shire hogs. Of these fifteen are pastured and fed on the diver- 

 sification farm as a part of its work. 



