Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1901-11-20
Why Farmers Fail

Wash,n etop, Nov. u. The IN
dust,ial commission today made pup
lie its review of eviderce taken Uc-
fore the commission on the supJec's
:, aor .coltu, and agriculture la r
A mo O her ,uhjectS dl~ uss It IS
hat of agrco tcral 'eyresson'
- uich the COZ nj Nlo speahs 10
low:
"Tue cause mo- o IN assigned tol |
the lie IRE siou # agriculture III til
Eastern States is the increased pr
duct,on de to the op nin OF W stem
In, ds in vance of the nat i"l de
tnaud, especially through the agenc
of liberal land laws and grants oil land
in aid of railroad construction. In
competition OF the West has been
rendered especially severe by the
nolicy of the railroads in maxim
freight rates relatlvelp low for long
distances.
SOUTH MAKING INROADS.
eth old staple p oducts bavins
thus become unpro6tabl~ III he L" I
II has been nece ssa1y r farmers to
cha @ t. cir methods and vary the
character of their crops, t"k'nS "
especially the culture of products
, which are not easily transported lon9
disAuees. Thus truck forming has
largely superseded cereal growing
alonq the Atlantic coast, but farmer
in the North Atlantic States no.
com Jain of the severe competition 81
:, State. farther Sou,h in this industry
and much the same may be SAID o.
t fruit or wing. Even so perishsble
d commodity as milk is traneporte
e much logger distances than formerl
since the introduction of refrigerator
s cas-.
BEHIND THE TIMES.
"Another cause which several wit
pesses assign for the unsatisfactory
It condition of agriculture in some parts
of the country is the conservatism o.
the farmers, their lack of quick ad-
;ustment to changed conditions, aDd
lack of effective business planning and
management. The farmers. as class
have not kept up with the times, but
II have raised the same caops year after
IS wear without regard to changes IL
v supbly and demand This undue con
IS servatism and lack of managing ability
among farmer is especially emphasized
- with reference to the Southern States
d and is given as an explanation OF The
Is too exclusive attention to cottoi
3 production prevailing there.
SCARCITY OF MONEY.
"Another cause assigned tor agrcul-
tural depression in the South is tn
scarcity of money, the difficulty o
borrowing on real estate securitie
!, and the consequent hioh rates OF in
Y erest. 1t seems to be possible, how
If ever, to borrow money in the Soutf
IT al some, bat lower rates of interos
n han formerly, The decline in tn
. price of cotton is, Of, course. an impor
It tant element in the depression OF agrl
a Gu ture in the South, The inefficlcncy
u of negro labor is assigned as anothe
IS cause,
g LABOR TOO CHEAP.
d "On the other hand. 1t is affirme'
d that there is too much good cheal
d labor in the South. An abundance
d cheap labor is said to be unfavorabi
d to success of agriculture, because t
, results in planting too largo an acreag
Is and in neglect of personal attention b
u the planter. &c.,
'e "5s ainft the charge that farmer C,
5. are unduly conservative is put tn
counter charge that they turn fror
+. one crop to another without sufficien
regard to the suitability os the china a;
and soil or to the conditions OF tn
market"