The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1909-04-15
DIVERSFIGATlON OF CROPS
IS THE KEY Note
SAYS PRESIDENT HARRIS OF The FARM
ERS' UNION PLANT LESS COTTON
and MORE FOOB CROPS.

President E Harris of the South
Carolina State Farmers union has
issued the following address, which
he desires that the county papers of
the State should copy:
"Agaiu I want to call you: atten-
ton, farmers, that now is the time
to fix price on the 1909 cotton crop.
Will you make it s or Is cents: It
is in your power to make it either.
~ want to, if l can impress upon
YOU, that diversi6cstion of your crops
is the keynote of the situation. |
want to urge every Southern farmer
to plant at least 25 per cent of his
cotton land in food crops, so as to
make home self-sustainiug. Now,
let's see if it will pay US as farmers
to diversity our crops. To my knowl.
Fedge, the farmer who has not been
making home self-suppolting has
been swapping 81 for so cents. Now
let's see if this assertion is true. The
farmer who bought corn last year
paid Sl.lo cash for it. If he borrow.
Ell the money to buy with it cost him
$l.25,as he paid interest on the mon
ey. If he hauled 1t home ten miles
it cost him 40 cents. 1t is worth 10
cents per bushel to haul corn ten
miles, so his corn cost him $l.35.
Now, any geod, progressive farmer
can make all the corn he will need
on his farm for IS cents per bushel.
You see he gave dollar for what he
could have raised for IS cents per
bushel. Are any of the Southern
farmers guilty of the alb nv nv If 90,
60 and sin no more. Dd you boy
any bacons 1t is selling now for H..
cents cash. Still swapping 81 for so
cents. Amy good farmer can raise
enough for his family use for 8 cents
per pound. Did you buy any bay?
If you did you are still at the same
old way of exchanging. If you
bought a horse or a mule you paid
from 5000 to $3.50. You can raise
one just as good for less than 500.
Nov, brother farmers,do not say that
Won cannot raise corn for 35 cents,
Try to do it, | have met more than
SO farmers this year that Iaised it for
less than 35 cents per bushel. and as
many as Is who raised it for less than
20 cents. The farmer who is rails
ing corn for 80 cents, bacon for 8
cents, raising his own horses and
making home self-supporting has
quit swapping 81 for so cents. The
farmer who is buying is still at his
old Job. While the farmer who IS
buying on a lien and mortgage on
his crop is just swapping 81 for 25
cents, or the cash buyer is swapping
81 for so cents. He can raise it for
half what he pays for it when he
buys it. Brother farmer, if you are
guilty of the above sin l say to sou,
sin no more. Now, what price will
you have for the 1909 crop! Will
you have 8 or Is cents? Remember,
it is all in your hands. and you will
get whatever price you make it. To
get Is cents you will have to diver
sify your crops and stop exchanging
81 for so cents, or you will never be
able to get a remunerative price
Now, what is the use for the farmers
of the South to raise 100000
bales of cotton and not get for it
more than they can for 1000, ,OOO-
or 100000 bale crop: Think of the
enormous expense of raising the ex-
ira 5,OOOO,OOo bales to bear the
market down. And who does this?
1t is the farmer. Think and consider
for a moment what you are doing and
you will quit it. Do you'think for a
moment that the manufacturer
would do any such ruinous business
Il