The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-20
AGRICULTURAL

Some friend has been kind enough to send me a marked copy of the Dal- las (Texas) News, dated August 23, con- taining an account of the annual meet ing of the Farmers union of Hopkins county, Texas, held at Sulphur Springs, August 20 and 21.
 The important feature of this meet ing was the address of MT. Dewitt Mo Murray, editor of the Semi Weekly Dallas News. This address is entirely in harmony with my views and ideas and is right in line with that which 1 have been preaching to the farmers in the cotton states, both through tn Q press and in all my lectures. so that 1 will give the address in full, for 1t applies to conditions in all other cot ton states as forcibly it does to Tex as, While 1t may be the same. old story so often told, yet 1t cannot be repeated too often. Mr. McMurray. in his address, in speaking of what the Texas farmer pays out annually for corn and meat failed to make mention of what he is also spending for hay and dairy products. I do not have the fig ures at hand 10 show what the hay imported into the state amounts to. but l have a statement showing that the state paid out last year SI0,000,0O0 for dairy products. I am glad to have the testimony of such a man as MT. McMurray, for he is In a position 10 know whereof he speaks and has a re- markable grasp upon the situation to confirm what | have been teaching through our paper for years.
 There is also another feature of the present system of cotton farming in Texas that needs to be changed al the very ca arliest possible chance. Last win ter while l was holding farmers meet ings in Texas, the statement was Ire 70 quently made by prominent men thaI the system of cotton farming WAS de . priVfng bS per cent of the children or the state of an opportunity to attend the public schools, that only "A per cent of the children of school age were in attendance. A system of farming that would bring about such a eondi- tion- as this in any country should be eliminated as quickly as possible
 Mr McMurray's address is both time ly and practical and should be read py every cotton grower in the south.
 Mr. McMurray began his address by referring to the work being carried on by the Farmers union. and by the Southern Cotton association. In speak ing of the Farmers union he said that the first item of news ever published in regard to tho union, so far as ne had been able to ascertain, was publlshso in the News. which was shortly after
 
 by Newt Gresham, at Point, in Raines county. He said that 1t was not at all surprising that the farmers should organize since every other business profession and trade almost had done so. Nobody could bjeet to such an or panization for the reason that IL was needed and needed badly. No one could blame the farmer, or any one else Tor wanting to get the full value for his products He said the farmer was the only man who allowed the other man to put a price on what he had to sell and also on what he had to buy. Alluu- ing to the suggestion of MT. Jordan that q farmer should endeaYor to get his affairs into such a shape as to make it unnecessary for him to sell his cot ton as fast as he gathered it. He said this could be done in no other way eX- cept by the practice of crop diversl- hcatfon which the News and other pa pers of the south had been urging for the last few years. This he said, had been found to be the fact by d great of the south who were practis- ing it. AS showing the correctness Of this statement he pointed out the fact that Texas each year imported rom other states all the way from 25,000, 900 to 90 ,000 900 bush els of corn.
 This corn is paid for at an average rate of 50 cents per bushel making the total for corn brought into Texas S12500.- 900 to S25 000,000 per year. In addition to this. Texas impdrts from these corn states s7,OOO,OO0 or $S0oO.OOO, or possibly more of hog products. This added to the easily why many Texas farmers had to