Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-07-15
FARMERS no MEET JULY %.
Will he Representative Gathering
from All Over the State.

p '' AHohi All over tile state. SIS. ID f.
The State Farmers Union Conyen-
ton to be held in Columbia on July
22, is expected to be the largest gath
erins of farmers the city has seen in
years. Some counties in the State
have not yet been organized, but
there are now over 400 local unions
scattered over the ST .e, and others
are being organized-about ten q
week. Over 200 delegates are ex-
pected to attend the State Conyen-
ton. The executive positions Of the
state organization are in good hands
and harmony characterizes the union
generally over the State.
There has been a wonderful awak-
ening among the farmers of this
state to the Importance Of getting to-
gether and sticking; to the necessi-
ty for better methods on the farms,
ana to the advantages to be gained
by frequent meetings in local unions
FOR exchange Of experience and swap
ping ideas. The rapid growth of
the rural high school system shows
that the farmers generally are taxi
Ing more practical interest in edu-
catfon generally.
Ihe demonstration work of the
Federal department Of agriculture
has accomplished great results in
waking up the farmers, by pursuing
systematic, practical work on the
farms through district, county and
township representatives. The year.
ly crop of agricultural graduates
from Clemson has also played an i'm
portant part in arousing general in
terest In farming, as have the fire.
quent county meetings of farmers
over the State.
The Farmers Union, which has
largely supplanted the Cotton Asso-
| citation, began to be organized in this
State In 1904. the present president,
B. Harris, Of Pendleton, being the
| first president. The organization
has grown most rapidly in the upper
tier of counties, where there are a
| large number Of white farmers, but
1t Is being rapidly pushed into the
counties east and south Of the capt.
| tal-Orangeburg, Calhoun, MarI-
boro, Clarendon, Bambery, Barn
| we'll, Aiken and Hampton counties
| being now in course Of organization.
The counties already organized
are Anderson, Oconee, Pickens,
| Greenville, Laurens, Abbeville, New
pCiiy, opal SIleTOhee, 1OTK,
| Lancaster, Kershaw, Fairfield, Rich
land, Lee, Sumter, Darlington, Flor
ence, Williamsburg, Lexington, Sa-
luda, Edgefieid and Chester, and I'm
ion Is to be organized within the
next few weeks.
The organization has a form Of
ritual and some secret work, which
appeals to the Imagination and tends
to keep up interest, but the primary
object, the practical result being
striven for. first and foremost, Is to
spread the gospel of diversification,
the raising Of home supplies and the
| treatment of cotton as surplus
crop.
However, the union is building
| cotton warehouses over the State,
the work of constructing these ware
houses going on now in half a dozen
counties where the union does not
own such buildings, in keeping with
the general scheme to finally get the
major portion Of the cotton in such
warehouses for the purpose Of
financing the crop and releasing it
| only at a stated price.
Some of the county and township
local unions are beginning to buy
| their supplies in bulk, others are
buying through central agencies, but
the plan that seems to be the most
| popular Is to have the local mer-
chants do the buying. the farmers
buying in advance for cash.
1t Is said that In one county last
year, where the union Is particularly
strong, the fertilizer trust was made
to sell fertilizers at from 50 to $3.50
| ton less than 1t was selling the
same brands in neighboring counties.
The union members refused to buy
until the price was reduced.