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Former Blacksmith Leads ArmyOf Soil On Farm In CountyB I.KSSIS S. READJack I)a\ is and his wife,Gertie, with their nine childrenlike to be considered “soldiers ofe * \ i 14years of experience, is not too easywithout finances or credit, saythis Washington county family.Davis formerly was a black-*smith in Oklahoma. Now* he feels like a general, fighting to gain his objectives with his “army”- his wife, three sons and six daughters a!! doing its part as tillers of the soil.The battle ground is 100 .a rcs of Arkansas land, now mostlycleared. Some of it is level* some steep and rolling, The north fideborders on a main day road. To the east and west are neighboring farms. The southern border is punctuated by a lime and sandstone bluff towering several hundred feet about the wooded \ alley, on each side of an i ge*o!d, dear blue stream around which fonder, juicy grasses grow from■ c family found they had: Sixbuxhela of wheat, $15 worth of farming tools, an old car worth $25 or less, two cows valued at $50, a calf, four hens and one sow'. The hogs and cows already were mortgaged for $100.*t\IPlanning Assistance“The KSA personnel offered planning assistance for planning the ne xt year’s crops,” says Davis* •‘This consisted of six acres in wheat, four in tomatoes, six acres of corn, five or oats, three of blt; an , two of lt;abbdge, Oft# ot 90f«ghum. two of Irish potatoes, fourof cane and one in home garden, a truly diversified crop.“Two mares had to be purchased for breeding and working. Plans included acquiring 900 fruit jars to supplement the 200 on hand. Plans also were made to fill these m well as provide dried beans, peas, potatoes, lard andmeat, for family table* use. “Within two vears (in 1938) thefuii\tI * i(Searly spring until late fall, and family resources had grown from all a no man’s land — nr free (the $103 to $842. In 1939, funds range for cattle. j were far enough ahead tlt; buy aI!The family had struggled, but had made little progress up to 1936 when it became acquainted witn the Farm Security Administration and what it had to offer the small farmers without resources or credit, other than the land upon which they lived, orequipment with which theyworked. Net asset* were about lt;103. The ground did not ‘’belong.** it was occupied on written lease,Hit.tvfarm and make the require 1 down payment. Now, seven years later, the family owns its own land, 11 cows, five heifers, three head of work stock, five brood sows which have the nearby woods ‘literally working' with pigs (that are making the biggest part of the living); a mowing machine, hay rake, two double shovels, a wagon, harness, turning plow and pressure cooker: a late modi ! ton truck which| * *but this gave tenure sta» already has earned its worth inf'otintinb fheir btf*^^ h;iullt;ni farm nroduete to murket **Vatyceo
Newspaper Details
Northwest Arkansas Times
Fayetteville, Arkansas, US
Sat, Feb 19, 1944
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 25 May 2021
Other Publications Near Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville Democrat
Fayetteville Daily
Fayetteville Northwest Arkansas Times
Northwest Arkansas Times
Fayetteville Daily Democrat
