The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1908-03-12
Devoted to the Industrial Commercial and Agricultural
Development Of the Wonderful Resources Of the State
Items Of Interest from all Quarters !: ::
By H. E. BLAKESLEE, Jaekson, Mississippi.
By H. E. BLAKEsLEE,

.AS nIuol expensive features
OF handling American cotton IS the
tare that is exacted in foreign mar
kets Tor damage by weather. Our
people have attached far too little
Importance to the protection Of their
cotton, believing that any old treat
ment was good enough for it, and the
consequence has been, that every bale
loses from ten to thirty per cent IN
damage OF this character. These, as
well as number of other matters Of
the greatest moment, are before the
bodies for final action, and it is to be
sincerely hoped that the members will
stay until they have been intelligent
ly acted upon.
Statistics recently compiled in
Washington go to show that Missis-
sippl pays a larger dividend on farm
investments than any other state in
the south, yet hundreds Of thousands
OF our citizens have gone to other
states within the past fifteen or TWEEN
| ty years seeking locations for homes.
While it has been largely our own
fault, it IS a fact that Mississippi Of
fers more to the man seeking a home
| than any state in the Union. Stay in
Mississippi.
"Diversifcation Day." That is
what President Hightower Of the IN
ION has asked all Of the locals in
the state to observe on Saturday,
March 3lst. In personal letter to
the writer he says that he has asked
the Union Advocate and all friendly
papers to make the announcement and
urges upon all to join and make the
occasion one to be remembered. And
the idea is undoubtedly an excellent
one. Suppose that one half of the
10000 members Of the Union in Mis-
slsSlppl and ten thousand who are
not members, meet on that day and
carefully discuss and consider the adj
vantages of Investigation, would it
not be the greatest farmers insti-
tute ever held in the United States {?
1t would, then let's do it and not in
a half-hearted way either. 1t is sug-
gested that dinner be prepared and
served in picnic style, and all, be
they members Of the Union or not,
be invited and urged to attend. The
discussion of every question pertain
Ting to diversif cation farming is sug-
gested, and it it expected that all who
! so desire give their views and the re-
suit Of past experience. The crops
best suited to the soil of communities
where the meetings are being held,
fertilizers, rotation, live stock, roads,
marketing and holding for a mini
mum price as well as dozens Of other
matters of Importance to our people.
This is capital idea and President
Hightower is to be congratulated
upon his foresight. Our people in
Mississippi do too little fthis kind
Of work. They get together too little
for the exchange Of experiences and
counsel with each other as has been
said dozens of times in this depart
ment 1t is to be hoped that the To-
cal Union all over the state will take
to this suggestion kindly and begin
preparations right now 10 make "Di-
versihcation Day" the greatest Of its
kind ever seen In the country. 1t can
be done If the members will make an
effort. Of course local speakers viii
be relied upon principally, there be-
ing only a few of the lecturers to
divide between the 1000 local, but
this need not deter one whit from
the profitable carrying out Of the
plan.
! It is also suggested in the personal
letter referred to, that particular
stress be laid upon the evils growing
out of the prevalent credit system in
our state. That the members be urg-
ed to do all In their power to dicour-
age the system wherever possible, and
that if it cannot be done away with
altogether, that no more than $50 per
bale be pledged. Independence from
the system Of commercial slavery is
one Of the strongest features of IN
ion teachings and should appeal to
the non-Union man as we'll as the
Union.
Don't forget the date, Saturday,
March Dist, and begin preparations
now to make it not only the grandest
event in the history Of Unionism, but
among the agricultural people of the
whole south. The good ladies will en-
ter into the matter cheerfully and vii
lingly and with the assistance of the
men it will be a success without a
parallel.
i TIL bulletin on agricultural Stats
tics recently issued from the Office Of
,,,.,xyns,