34 PROFITABLE STOCK RAISING 



The location of land adjacent to the Atlantic 

 ocean is especially desirable because of the prox- 

 imity to great market centers like New York, Bos- 

 ton, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Jacksonville. 



SOIL MOISTURE MEASURES PRODUCTION 



The productive capacity of the soil is measured 

 largely by its water-holding capacity. True, every 

 soil must contain a certain amount of plant food, 

 but if it does not have the capacity to absorb and 

 retain moisture so that this will be available during 

 the period of plant development, it cannot be highly 

 profitable. The treatment, therefore, of these 

 abandoned soils should be such as to increase their 

 water-holding capacity. 



The quickest and best way to increase this water- 

 holding capacity is to fill the land with humus. 

 This is secured primarily in two ways. First, by 

 growing leguminous crops, such as cowpeas, 

 clovers, vetch, etc., and turning these under. If, 

 allied with this growing of leguminous crops, live 

 stock farming is practiced, it will not be many 

 years before the Atlantic coast states will be in- 

 finitely more productive, from an agricultural 

 standpoint, than at present. While it may not be 

 entirely profitable to raise beef cattle, the locality 

 is especially suited to dairying, to the raising of 

 poultry, and to the raising of hogs in connection 

 with dairying. The market for dairy products is 

 almost unlimited and the prices are the best. The 

 comparatively short distance from the producer to 

 the consumer eliminates the matter of expensive 

 freight and express rates. Consequently, it is a 

 source of great encouragement to know that the 

 so-called unproductive farms of the East may be 



