Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-07-03

be admitted to the convention, which
will be held in the hall of the
house of representatives, but 1t is ex-
pected that something Of interest to
the people of the state generally will
be given out for publication by the
press committee.
There has been a wonderful awak-
ening among the farmers Of this state
to the importance of getting together
and sticking, to the necessity for bet
ter methods on the farm and to the
advantages to be gained by frequent
meetings in local unions for exchange
Of experience and swapping ideas
And the rapid growth of the rural
high school system shows that the
farmers generally are taking more
practical interest in education gener-
ally. The demonstration work Of the
Federal department Of agriculture has
accomplished great results in waking
up the farmers, by pursuing systema-
tic, practical work on the farms
through district, county and township
representatives. The yearly crop OF
agricultural graduates from Clemson
has also played an important part In
arousing general interest in farming,
as have the frequent county meetings
of farmers over the state.
The state Union now has it's official
weekly paper, four-column, sixteen
page general agricultural publication
attractively edited and beautifully
printed, and published at Columbia.
This goes to about 1000 farm families
over the state, and it is attracting
much favorable comment. It's editor
is Mr.. S. Frank PARROT, clever
young newspaper man Of Gaffney
who has been conducting the Chero-
kee News for the past several years.
The Farmers Union began to be or
ganized in this state in 1904, the pres
ident, Mr.. B. Harris, Of Pendleton, be-
ing the first president The organiza-
ton has grown most rapidly in the
upper tier of counties, where there
are a larger number of white farmers
but it is being rapidly pushed into the
counties east and south Of the capital
Orangeburg, Calhoun, Marion, Marl-
boro, Clarendon, Bamberg, Barnwell
Aiken and Hampton counties being now
in course Of organization. The counties
already organized are: Anderson, Oco-
nee, Pickens, Greenville, Laurens, Alb
beville, Newberry, Spartanburg, Cher
okee, York, Lancaster, Kershaw, Fair
field, Richland, Lee, Sumter, Darling
ton, Florence, Williamsburg. Lexing-
ton, Saluda, Edgefield and Chester
and Union is to be organized within
the next few weeks.
The organization has a form Of rit-
ual and some secret work, which ap-
peals to the imagination and tends to
keep up interest, but the primary OBJ
ject, 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 q surplus crop.
However, the Union is building cot
ton warehouses over the state, the
work of constructing these ware
houses is going on now in half doZ-
en- counties, where the Union does not
own such building. in keeping with
the general scheme to finally get the
major portion of the cotton in such
warehouses for the purpose Of financ-
ing the crop and releasing 1t only at
stated price.
Some of the county and township
local unions are beginning to buy
their supplies in bulk, others are buy
ing through central agencies, but the
plan that seems to be most popular is
to have the local merchants do the
buying, the farmers buying in advance
for cash. 1t is said that in one coun-
ty last year, where the Union is par
ticularly strong the fertilizer trust
was made to sell fertilizers at from
50 to $3.50 a ton less than it was selling
the same brands in neighboring coun-
ties. The Union members refused to
buy until the price was reached.