Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1897-03-25
TO THE COTTON
GRO WERs.
Every Farm Should be
Self Sustaining BE
fore RAISING the white
staple.

The following address was
unanimously adopted by the
American Cotton GIOwers Pro
tective Association IN Memphis
last week and is worth the con
sidefatiOn Of ell cotton growers:
To Cotton Growers of America:
The Cotton Growers Protec-
tive Association of America. in
conventiOn assembled az Mem
phis. Tenn. on this March No..
1897. again come 10 Us with an
urgent appeal for cooperative
action in planting the crop for
1891. II is matter of extreme
cougrtuldtiou that the appeal
made TO Won for 1895 and 1890
WAS So generally responded to
and that the crop Of 1895 made
upon the diminished acreage.
did have The effect Of greatly
increasing the price of cotton.
The crop OF 1875. though csti-
mated To be 3.icO.OO5 bales
short of the crop OF 1891. WAS
m the market ofthc world worth
more by nearly s}n.000,00O. In
the face of this result. to aban-
don the idea of diminished ac-
reage would be To sound the
retreat IN the face of victory.
II j. the consensus of opinion
among the best thinkers that II
by any means the cotton crop OF
America could be held within
the limits OF 1DJ0,U00 bales per
annum for ten years the peo-
pc of these Soutier1s States
would he the the richest and
most prosperous agricultural
people in the world. How can
this be brought about! The
answer is with you. We appeal
to your se!f-interest and Ia your
patriotism to do all in your
power to keep down the pro-
duction of the staple. Do not
abandon the ground you have
won. Fight on upon the lines
laid down, make the cotto
States self-supporting. pu; more
land IN clover and grasses for
your hogs to run on, diversity
your crops, and when you have
done all this the area devoted
To cotton will yield more profit
able returns that If YOU sought
20 increase the number of your
bales.
II Is felt by tire most thought
tgl men that We are entering up
ON q year OF great uncertainties,
and that even a small cotton
crop may tail to give adequate
returns for its production. The
mutterings of a storm are dis
turbing values aud unscttling
all business calculations. The
prudent man will trim his sails
to meet il. With the commerce
ot the country interrupted by
War-and war may come-cot-
ton would be unstable except
at nominal prices. Every con
sideiation then of selEinterest
and of prudence dictates that
YOU adhere strictly to he rule
of diminished acreage. Earnest
men are earnestly working to
lead YOU into prosperity. Do
not let them labor in vain. but
eheerfully and Hopefully re-
spond to their appeal.
In conclusion we desire to
say TO every cotton grower.
whether his crop is 10 bales or
l,O00 bales, see to il first t.lat
your place is selFsustaining g
and we mean by this To be sure
you grow on the farm an aban.
dance of corn, meat, hay, oats.
peas, potatoes, etc, for all the
people on the place, both white
and cOlored. If the tenant will
not produce these articles, sell
them to him, and YOU keep the
money in your own pocket, in
place of sending it cut of the
country, when YOU have done
this. or provided for it, grow
what cotton you can.
If every farmer or planter in
the cotton growing district will
make this his rule of action. and
live up TO il eCnscientiOusly. it
will accomplish the result we so
much desire. of making us all
prosperous and happy, whether
yO1r cotton, which will be. a
surplus crop. sells Tor high or
low price. We would urge YOU
again. to make sure first of a
cheap, homegrown living for
all the animals ON the place, and
then make what cotton you can.
JAMES p. EAGLE,
Arkansas.
JOHN G.. FLETCHER.
Arkansas.
j. +. SMITH,
Arkansas.
HECTOR ID. LANE.
= labama.
JEROME Hin