The Iuka vidette. (Iuka, Miss.) 1894-1912, 1909-05-06

Good Seed Important.-The very inn
portant matter of securing good and
!, reliable seed for planting has been re-
ferred to number. of times in this
department, but it is of sufficient inn
portance to warrant repetition many
times. 1t has been the custom too long
TO accept without question what is of
fered, and there can be little wonder
that the result has not been what was
expected or desired. The custom of seed
men from other sections in offering in
ferior goods to section should be effec-
tually stopped, by law if in no other
way The following extract is from
private letter to the department of agri-
culture, written by one of the we'll
known reliable seed men of the North.
1t is here given to show how our people
are generally regarded as easy marks"
for the INSCRIPTIONS seed man:
Northern corn is of good variety,
and. produces splendid results in your
state. The objection to Northern corn
there has arisen mostly from the use
OF seed of poor grade. L am sorry
to say that we have some inscriptions
seed men here who will send out any
thing, good or bad, and label it as it
comes handy; in fact, there is cur
rent notion among the seed houses that
the Southern trade will take anything,
and Southern corn is a trade term
hat ,o 10 h.
market here in the North This is part
ly the fault of the Southern dealers and
planters in accepting anything that
comes along, instead of kicking on it.
If some of the Southern buyers would
put in a few vigorous kicks on some of
the corn that is shipped them from the
North, they would get batter seed"
There is a lot of truth in this. A
remedy is demanded Can it be done
by legislation? Undoubtedly the best
remedy would be for our people to raise
their own seed corn and surplus for
the neighbor who failed to provide him
self for the coming year. This depart
ment will assist in finding market
for seed corn if offered in the ear. All
that was so offered during this year
went rapidly at good prices. Let's have
more of it for next year.
Cheap Money for Development. In
1904 the writer published an article cali
ing attention to the fact that Missis-
sippi people were paying to the big in
surance companies several million dol
lars annually that was loaned at very
low rate of interest in the North and
East. That this money was used for
the development of that section, and
that the South could not borrow at
even higher rate, when money was so
badly needed down here for the devel-
opment of our resources. Other publ
cations were made during the year, show
ing that only very small amount of
insurance money was invested in the
South, and that in a class of securities
that were of little interest to the masses
of the people. In February of the fol-
lowing year the suggestion for home
company was offered and urged at va
rious times during the following months.
1t was stated that the aggregations of
wealth in the hands of the companies
were becoming menace to the country,
instead of a protection to the policy
holders, and the charge made that they
were being used for the control of ma
tional elections and legislation
This policy was adhered to for
number of years, and while the people
may have agreed with the suggestions
made, they were slow to make the at
tempt to organize company. Of
course, the old companies did not take
kindly to the statements, and made it
as unpleasant for the writer as possible.
In 1904, soon after coming to jackson,
the proposition for Mississippi COM
pany was again agitated. The investi-
cations and revelations concerning the
management of the old companies of
fered an opportunity for interesting our
people in organizing company to give
them the protection desired and leave
their money in Mississippi for invest
ment. Informal application blanks were
sent out for signature by the people,
stating that they desired to take in
surance in Mississippi company organ
lied upon similar lines to the old com
panies. Hundreds of these were sent
in, Hon. H. M. Street. of Meridian; Hon.
A., G. Anderson, of Ripley, and dozens
of others, securing signatures and for
warding them to the writer. This move
ment resulted in the organization of the
Lamar Life some time later
The principal point being striven for
all along was for the investment of Mis-
sissippi money for the development of
Mississippi resources. If the old COM
panies would not invest their surplus
here, then let's organize Southern COM
panies, do our business at home, and in
vest our money at the same place.
Within the past few years more than
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