Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1904-11-03
FARMER RANDI PLANTER.
-. c,>t,n Grower sf the South Has
No. e p1shs, which he Must
rs lntelligently.

Hsrs h wire-grass Georgia, wnen
N rufs ont and endansers our fences
~ ont-buildings. as sometimes hap
- through sparks from passing
I~1r,1,eL o. nom . carelessly thrown
80, ~ have two methods Of fight
- ~ lre. One IL to cut down y
d pine sapllng, and beat out the
Inc q frs, each man his own section;
- DIR, to back IRE. to nght fire with
~ n last ID the only safe way, as
~ ~ nrs some sm~ouldering log or
|ctn1dp vii often set ablaze again the
unkumt border Of the dry grass.
~ cotton growers have a fire to
nit. . which is spreading each day,
and which will put Is in the position
which existed . decade ago. unless
vigorously combated. 1t is almost
needless to state that the trusts are
mesnt;f the spinners' combinations. The
cotton buyers associations, the oil-mill
trust, the fertilizer trusts. and the
local association Of ginners, each and
every one Of which is q union to cut
down the already precarious and small
pro6ts. of the cotton growers.
Here also, there are two ways to
light the evil; by diversifying crops
and by controlled marketing.
BY the first method, the farmer hav'
Ing full cribs. granaries and smoke
house, plenty Of syrup and potatoes or
hand, can, as 1t were, live at home
Any surplus. however small, can b
sold in the neighborhood, AMI viii
help enable the grower to hold his cot
ton, to put the producer in the posi-
tion where he can make the price OF
his own product. Thus the cottol
SPECTATORS can be circumvented t
some extent. This plan will, In I'D
dition, enable the farmer to saw
larger quantities Of manure through
the increased number of cattle an
hogs required to probably consum
the diversified crops, and in som
measure liberate him from the fer
tilizer trusts. His cottonseed a the
be either fed or put on the land, or ex
changed for a liberal amount OF mea
and bulls as he sees At. He Is nc
Obliged to sell. having supplies, and s
can fx his own price in REASONABLE
limits.
This, one might call the pine-brus
method Of lighting the fire, but Their
IL another and better way, for thi
reason; when the price of cotton goe
up about planting time, as 1t Is 8
prone to do, it tempts the farmer I
break through his established plan
rotation, by planting a little more Co
ton, and many . nickle makes
muckle." But II a sufficient number
growers will unite and agree to hol
cotton, turning none loose under a ce
tain figure, the buyers would be pov
erless. This same union could for
| fertilizer trusts, oil-mill trusts ar
ginners' associations to meet any ia
offer by the same means the trus
have hitherto used to coerce the ind
vidual grower-by monopoly.
r 5sHnot elatms1 that such m 40
o161316 cnn surrogate the law Of supp
and demand. On the contrary, It tax
advantage Of this very law. for
feeding Z twelve months supply to Il
consumers during exactly twel,
months, temporary over-supply wou'
be prevented. and the bulk Of the Gre
would no longer get into the hands
non-producers and non-consumers,
| the detriment OF both. Neither Is
claimed that the price Of cotton can I
held At any one figure. The price mu
depend upon the supply and deman
A large crop must be sold for q 10
price, and Q small crop for q hie
price, but the lowest price should be
profitable price. II there should be an
surplus, 1t be most economical
held on the farm, but there has new
yet been any actual surplus Of cott0
exceeding reasonable stocks at IL
mills. Certainly there Is none in exis
ence now.
4n0 DnAaAA oAAOuAe u cottoh foniAil
ing from the last crop makes this
peculiarly happy time for cotton grow
era to test this method Of slow marke
ing The present prosperous conditic
Of TIE south will enable them to do .
while ct the same time encouragement
n given by the large number Of farm
err unions and clubs already pledge
to hold for fair prices. Our fate is |
our own hands; shall we grasp the Of
portunity or let It pass?-AgriculturI
Epitomist-