The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1906-12-06

While the writer was urging action
on the part of those present at the
meeting of agricultural commissioners
and workers at Jacksonville, Fla, re-
gently toward concerted action for
broadening the cotton market both at
home and abroad, and in discussing
the proposition to cover our cotton
with goods made from low grades and
making sacks for fertilizers and SINH
lar uses from storm cotton, a distin-
guished gentleman in the party took
issue and pronounced the proposition
a sophistry He further stated that
is was wrong to try to force manu-
facturers of fertilizers to use goods
made from cotton if they did not want
to. This is just as it has been for
years. When an effort is being made
to do something for the farming class
es there is always some one to OBJ
jeot and claim that thesplan is not rea-
eonable or just to the manufacturer.
They forget that the same manufact-
urers do just as they please, forcing
on the farmer what they choose and
he has no recourse in the matter.
Union labor in the plant, but when
the consumer, the cotton planter,
wants a little concession to benefit
himself in furnishing a market for
what he raises with the fertilizer
bought, there is cry of forcing them
to do something they do not want to.
The trusts and combines have defend
ers everywhere that are always anxi-
Gus to take up the cudgel in their de-
Tense, many of them coming from
sources that should have supplied de-
tenders for the agricultural people.
AS the writer stated in his address be-
fore that body, every interest has been
fostered by special legislation, dona-
lions or concession except the farmers
and it is now high time that they
were being recognized by a govern
ment that has its very foundation and
,sinews of perpetuation upon the
results OF their labor.
The dozens Of supposed to be i'm
proved cotton seeds that are being
toffered planters at fancy prices bring
to the front again the fact that any
farmer by the process of selection can
Improve his seed and In a short time
make them almost if not quite so
good as any offered. By a system Of
neglect he can in the same short time
run down the best to ordinary cotton.
f. NJ. Berryhill of Aline, Amite county
,veriies this fact in letter to the writ
.er of recent date. He says: 'sI write
you few lines to let the thousands
who read your department. weekly
know what can Be accomplished by a
system of seed selection in improving
our crops. In the year 1898 I had my
entire cotton crop planted in what
was known as the Brandon cotton.
found few stalks that were extra
good and from these I carefully pick
ed the cotton, had it ginned separately
and planted In a patch to itself next
year. | have been doing the same
thing every year since and now have
"a cotton that is very early and prolific
On good land and with proper cultiva-
ton it will make two bales TO the acre
sand 500 pound bale from 1000 to
1900 pound Of dry seed cotton. 1t
has small seed large bolls and is easily
picked. A neighbor this fall got a
1880 pound bale from 1870 pounds of
seed cotton. [ am firm believer in
improved seeds of all kinds and what
Il have done can be accomplished by
fany farmer>that will take the time and
lprecaution. | am still young man,
only 80 years of age, have been farm
ing all OF my life and expect to keep
1T up. cannot see why so many young
men want to leave the country and go
to town when the farm offers so much
to those who will use their energy
and brains i'll the right direction. T
prefer to live in the country, raise
fine cotton, good corn, duroc Jersey
hogs and rhode island red chickens. -
England made total profit of 291
million dollars last year from the cot
ton manufactured Of which the raw
material was bought in the South. Of
this enormous sum, AZ millions dollars
made from the cotton produced in the
state of Mississippi and exported.
More than half Of what was received
by our planters for the entire crop.
Is this not an enormous sum to be
allowed to leave us when it could and
should be kept here at home? Our cot
ton should be manufactured right here
and this immense profit kept where
it rightfully belongs. 1t is high time
that our people were becoming alive
to the Importance of such work and
intereStino Themselves In ,oovor,o,,4