FARM-MANAGEMENT STUDY IN ANDERSON CO., S. C. 31 



SPECIAL FARMS AND NEW CROPS. 



Some mention should be made of a few farms producing truck on 

 a small scale and retailing it in the near-by towns. There is room 

 here for only a few farms in this kind of business, but some of these, 

 so long as they are able to find a market for the produce, are finding 

 the business profitable. Irish potatoes were profitable, as shown by 

 the cost of production, which was 52 cents per bushel, and the value, 

 which was $1.01 per bushel. These are planted in July, well toward 

 the end of the cotton-plowing season, and the cultivating is done dur- 

 ing August and September, when there is not much other farm work 

 to do. The rainfall in these months is also ample for growing pota- 

 toes. They may be left in the ground and harvested at any time dur- 

 ing the winter. Late Irish potatoes handled in this way are a com- 

 paratively new crop and are grown on only a few farms, but because 

 they are profitable and do not interfere with other crops it appears 

 that 1 or 2 acres per mule would add to the profits of many farmers. 



Alfalfa is also a new crop in this area, the possibilities of which are 

 not yet fully known. Since the survey was made, alfalfa has been 

 planted on 10 or more farms, and the fields appear promising. If 

 the results are as good as have been obtained at Rock Hill, S. C, on 

 a soil very similar in type, it should prove a valuable addition to the 

 farms and greatly facilitate the growing of live stock needed for 

 home consumption. An acre per mule carefully planted and handled 

 should prove profitable. The velvet bean, which farmers are just 

 beginning to plant, is also a promising crop in this section. Early 

 varieties mature before frost, and, when planted with corn, the yield 

 of corn is reduced little, if any, and a good yield of beans is ob- 

 tained. The fodder on the corn can not be "pulled" where velvet 

 beans are planted, but the soil improvement and the feed from the 

 beans will ordinarily more than compensate for any loss incurred in 

 this way. 



Soy beans offer possibilities for this area. A few farmers already 

 have planted soy beans for feed, but the limited market for the beans 

 has prevented the extension of the acreage. Soy beans are now 

 crushed for oil and meal by cotton-oil mills, so that there is a ready 

 market for the seed. This should encourage farmers to grow the 

 crop. Soy beans can be planted in rows in the spring immediately 

 after cotton planting is finished. They are cultivated very much 

 like corn and harvested for seed late in October or early in Novem- 

 ber. There are machines which straddle the row and pick and thrash 

 the beans in the field. Soy beans can also be planted for hay after 

 oats and wheat, and harvested in the same manner as cowpea hay. 

 It is also probable that they can be planted after oats and harvested 

 for the seed. Inoculation is necessary for best results. 



