Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-02-03


cannot be said too strongly nor too
south depends Upon multiplied host
OF small farmers, who live on and cul-
tivate the farms they own The one
horse cropper, or betterristill.s the two
horse cfopper. who owns his own farm
Is the most important man in Georgia
economies today The Industrial future
of the south is assured but 1t is a fu-
ture Of Industrial city civilization. The
agricultural future OF the south needs
equally to be assured, or we shall In the
long run pay an inevitable penalty.
/ believe with all my heart that an
ounce of economics is at present worth
a whole ton OF politics. TO be sure, the
farmer needs just such legislation as will
give him a fair share Of the prosperity
of the country. Mr.. james ]. Hill is quite
frank to say that the farmer has not
had a square deal in the legislative halls
of America; because we have been busy
legislating for the so-called Industrial iu-
terests of the country. OF course the
farmer knows. or ought to know, that In
the main he will have to lift himself UP
by Juggling at his own bont straps.
Better methods bf cultivation; the ro-
tation of crops. intensive agriculture. d.
versified crops greater abundance of
farm animals. improved public highways,
better schools. better churches, more tel
ephones, more cross-country railways. are
all dependent upon an Immense mqltipli-
cation of small land owners. small prop
erty owners, small Taxpayers.
MEN WHO ARE HELPING.
Such man as Deem, Vareen. James. Tiff,
Arnold, and others in Georgia, who have
been cutting large estates into small
farms and settling upon them newcomers
from other counties or states, have not
only been making money out Of these
ventures, but have been doing the one
fundamental thing that Georgia needs
most; they have been multiplying small
farm owners abundantly in their COM
munities and counties. 1t Is good bust
ness, but 1t Is even better citizenship.
They are doing just the thing that every
county in Georgia needs to have done.
They are worth their weight In gold to
their counties. IN
found in Louisiana the other day that
the boil weevil had smashed the very
bottom out OF farm land values eight
years ago These values have not yet
recovered. AS result, the farmers from
the middle and western and north central
states have been docking into that state
during the last five years, buying up these
cheap lands and settling upon them.
True, they do not know about cotton raia-
ing, but they do know about corn rails
ing, hog growing. stock and cattle breed
ing, dairy farming. trucking, and many
other forms of farm activity that have
languished in the south under the infu
ences of our single-crop civilization.
A CASE OF HOBSON's CHOICE.
1t is not too much to say that people in
Georgia who own broad acres are facing
Hobson's choice: they can either sell
their big farms now, in small lots, at a
profit, before the boil weevil comes, or
they can sell, afterward without a profit
or at a loss just as the farmers are still
doing in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Ware county has been rarely wise in at
tracing into 1t some / 800 farmers during
the last decade. Mr.. L. A. Thomas was
wise to sell half of his farm In Sumter
county the other day for $4,000. He still
has 1900 acres left, with a comfortable
capital against the day of the boil weevil
calamity In the end. of course the boil
weevil is not calamity, but hts coming
means seven lean years. Or this is what
the boil weevil has meant In other states.
In any event, the one thing most need
full now in Georgia is an immense multi
plication of small farmers, who live on
and cultivate the land they own.
Cordially yours
E. c. BRANSON,
President State Normal School.