The farmer and mechanic., 1910-04-05


plans As.
This writer was awakened on the
92nd of March. 1910, at the hour OF
midnight, from a vision or dream.
As if seemed to me, | was cOnVerSlng
with quite Il number of farmers on
t1e subject of putting the American
Tobacco Trust out of business.
The problem was, as / saw it, en-
Grely solved, and every one With
whom / came in contact yielded to
ny opinion. | thought that the ar
gument was just this Farmers. quit
raising tobacco and the American To-
hacco Trust is a thing of the past, 1t
is Us harmless as a -year-old baby.
But" say they. If we quit raising
tobacco the American Tobacco Com
y.anv viii buy up the land and raise
il Themselves.
All right, let them raise it; then
they won't get any more tobacco at
z Il and cents a pound. The farm
crs have raised it until they, as rule,
have worn out their land, burned up
their wood, and a great many of
them deeply in debt. And think too
all this for raising a commodity that
Is worthless apart from its CONNER
Ciai value. 1t is a substance that has
been the cause of more insanity than
perhaps any other cause in the world,
10 say nothing about the deaths that
Hd. DPHN caused DE InlenDeTdtc, OF
rather excessive use Of the stuff.
Tarmcrs, What are we doing Feed
i0g ere among the greatest, If not
the greatest, combines in the United
States And Just think of it! All
the tobacco thau raised in the world
wouldn't feed one hungry child, not
even a horse, or COW, or hog, or dog
Yes. but YOU say we have to raise it,
taxes have to be paid and we are
co IS all that We can get money out
Of. Wei. lets look at that a minute
and see il that is all that we can make
money out of. Putting the expense
and labor on your land, that is neces-
sary to make tobacco, couldn't you
make fifty bushels Of oats to the acre
Then putting the oats at 65 cents per
hGShei YOU have $3.50 off of one acre,
then the straw can be marketed at a
price anywhere from soc. to 800 per
hundred-aS much as you get for a
good deal of your tobacco. There is
nothing that the farmer raises now
but what bears a good price except
tobacco. Let's cut it out.
Farmers, the first thing for you to
DO IS to improve your farms by leav-
ing off the cultivation of tobacco
Then improve by sowing your land tC
grass and clover. Then few cattle
hoSs and other necessary stock. Look
at the price of beef. pork and lard
would it not be better for our farm
efS 10 raise these supplies and supply
our nome markets than it is to let the
farmers of Indiana. Illinois and other
western States supply our markets
ana reap such enormous profits, while
we are Stralning our lives out to raise
lew pounds of tobacco to feed the
American Tobacco Company? Farm
trS, won't you quit it?
. ~ ltNy~r-
we are not altogether a tobacco
SroWing State, and | am glad that we
are noD, let US compare this State
WIN one that does not raise any to-
Dacco and note some Of the differ
enceS: Now just for comparison, le
9 GtAe indiana. She raises no to
pacco, but corn, wheat oats, grasses
tioFer, horses, cattle and hogs A
q result she has rich land, farms al
I'nced and in good condition, and III,
puhhc roads, graveled or macadamed
5'Feams all bridged, and has an en-
"o"nent fund the interest of which
t0lS S her public schools for eight o
n."e months in the year. No tobac
D. ~ I2iSed Tor market in that State
80" "oes that compare with Nortl
'tiha' tobacco growing State
~hich has to look to the west for
66lo"' ueal Of her bread and meat, an,
~ s'9 no 1nacaddmed road worth while
puDIiC money enough TO ful
~" pubHc schools an average Of ) /
70 I months in the year?
res you say, but our lands vii
MOI Srow grasses and clover"
mistaken idea Land that Wi
to" GOOD tobacco will grow most an
e,i'' o Oh grass or clover, if you vii
ft ffe 1t half the chance that you Civ
o"cco: and then when it is grow
"''ho OF Gods creatures can eat it
tM ot SO with tobacco. Farmers, brea
le tobacco trust and come out fror
''S e2n1age, You can do 1t