The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-05-26
THE COT TON PROBLEM
NOT TOO LATE TO REDUCE THE
ACREAGE.
The Farmers Union Advising Its
Members to Plough Up Cotton and
Plant Grain.

The Farmers Unior Is advising its
members to plow up Is per cent. of
their cotton just planted and put the
same land in other crops. This is
the only effective way to get a pro-
| ftable price next fall and the Union
Will push the plan to the utmost. The
effect of this action on the present
crop yet in the farmers hands would
be instareous. The Carolina Union
Farmer has the following to say on
this subject:
The plan to remove the possibility
of low-pl'iced cotton is simple, prac-
tical and effective. 1t is simply to
go into your fields and plow up a
given amount of cotton and plant
the land in peas, corn or some for
age crop This will cause a change
of your plans, you say? Of course it
will, but the change is absolutely ne
cessary to win your fight. You can't
afford to follow an uncertain and
foolish plan in this contest, when
there is a sure and certain way. You
can't compete successfully with the
cunning brain of the gamblers with
out using your own brain and busi-
ness sense. The way to defeat an
enemy is; to deceive and surprise him.
AS a plan for winning this fight for
the price of cotton, it is better to plow
up the cotton already planted, than
to have reduced the acreage to that
extent at the beginning. This action
taken now is at time when 1t is
too late for the Southern fools and
traitors to increase their cotton ac-
reage, as they would have done, II
this action had ben taken earlier in
the season. 1t will not only defeat
those who would be disposed to act
the traitor, but it will attack the
gamblers stronghold in place least
expected, and their defeat will be
inevitable.
1t is a fact sustained by his story
and by trade conditions that a ten
million bale crop Of cotton will bring
more money in the aggregate than
a 100000 bale crop. We are a
business organization and as such we
must learn business ways from busi-
lness, men if we succeed. When the
manufacturers find that they are not
getting as big profit on their goods
as they want, they meet in organized
Shut down" until the price advances
lInasmuch as the manufacturers have
decided to ,"shut down, rather than
pay the Minimum Price for cotton, II
is putting into practice the best kind
of business sense for farmers to de-
eide to shut down" by plowing ur
a part of their cotton crop.
| BY plowing up portion of the
cotton crop the benefit will come tc
us in twofold way. 1t will cause
the price of cotton to advance to 6
lpoint where the acres that are left ir
|cotton will bring more money thar
the whole would have brought. There
Ifore, whatever crop we raise on the
ilaQQ Wu6TG we plOW up q SOitd
lamount of cotton, that crop will re-
lpresent a clear profit over and above
what we would have otherwise had
in the windup. The corn; peas OF
cane that is produced on the land
on which cotton is plowed up, viii
add that much more value to oul
products next fall, and the best par
about the whole plan will be the
beautifully crushing defeat Of the
gamblers who intend to price oul
cotton at SC, or less, next fall. I!
the fight worth winning? This is
matter that appeals to the patriotism
of every Southern farmer and tests
1.-The loyalty of every Farmers Unior
man. Shall cotton prove to be an
other "lost cause" in the South? Le
each individual answer this question
by going promptly into his field ano
do some plowing that will yield big
ger profit than the same amount o.
plowirg has ever yielded in this .coun
try.