Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-03-24
MERIWETHER CLUB.
One of the Largest and Most
Progressive Farmers Clubs 4
In the State.

Having heard and read much o,
the activity, enterprise and achieve
ments of the Meriwether Asricul
tural Club, the writer was greatly
pleased last week to learn some
thing of its methods and inside
work from the very worthy presi
dent, Mr.. Walter Cheatham:
The club has eighty-odd farmer:
on its roll and a majority of then
are active, deeply interested mem
bers. Regular bi-monthly meetings
are held, at which topics of every
day interest to farmers are discuss
ed. The topic for the meeting last
Saturday was the Labor CUES
ton Il
Instead of discussing such topic
in general way, the remarks and
ideas advanced are suited to theil
several needs, to the peculiar Local
conditions. In order to show what
benefits are derived from concert
of action on the part of the farmers
of a community, Mr. Cheatham
cited their experience Of several
years ago, to wit: After all of the
crops were harvested in the fall ex-
cept the scattering cotton, the far
mers found great difficulty in get
ting the colored people to work, the
latter prefering to shoulder their
gun and go hunting to picking the
scattering cotton Finally, the far
mers of the Meriwether section, be-
coming so greatly ANNOYED by the
hunting proclivities of the negroes
in the fall, sought a remedy. At a
meeting of the club it was unani-
mously agreed that every land own
er post his land, not allowing even
a resident tenant the privilege of
hunting. This worked like magic.
The colored people, seeing that it
was either harvest the crops or be
denied the privilege of hunting al
together, set about to gather in the
aforesaid scattering cotton. The
posting of land by one farmer could
not have brought about the de-
sired result, but when all of the
land owners acted together, it, be-
came aHseasy matter. The members,
of theadHhsalso improved the. labor
situation SbS pledging themselves;
;rll9t.to e,IiRl owe e hand
the place of man to whom said
hand was in debt.
The aggressive and progressive
spirit of the club has repeatedly
manifested itself in the prominent
part that it has taken in the Geor-
gia-Carolina fair. For two years the
Meriwether club was awarded first
prize for the best club exhibit and
only lacked two points of winning
the third year. a number Of the
members also made splendid indi-
vidual exhibits.
Unlike many organizations of the
kind, the Meriwether club has more
than nominal existence. The mem
bers are constantly agitating and
undertaking something that will
be of practical benefit to themselves
and the community at large. Each
member has set apart this year
small area of ground for expert
mental purposes. Different mem
bers will adopt different methods
of planting and cultivating corn,
cotton and other crops, reporting
at stated times the progress and re-
suits that are being obtained. In
this way every member of the club
will profit by the, experience of
every other member, thus saving
the time and expense of making the
actual experiment himself.
Mr.. Cheatham approved most
heartily of the action of The Ad-.
vertiser in offering the prizes to
corn growers. He and several other.
members of the club purpose en-
tering the contest.
Would that the farmers in every
community were as wide-awake, ag-
gressive, and progressive as are the
Meriwether farmers. White Town
and Harmony are not far behind.
Let others take on new life and be
added to the list of organized far
mers by next fall.
Some 'sNecks" in EdgefieId.