The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-02-06

lilc FARMERS liD Also ljcHc:>S II;
Efecting a System II D~is,rxhutio1,
As Well As s%sc>lucius Acrra..c end
in Planting an Equal Number Of
Acres in Two Crops.
President Alexander and Grand
Lecturer Green and other Farmers
Union officers were in Raleigh y..s-
terday to confer with the y comment
visitors with reference t. putting tie
Rock Hill plan into effect II North
Carolina. President Alexander and
Lecturer Green talked about that
plan and the purposes OF the Farm
ers Union. President Alexander
said:
President Alcxander's Interview.
"Mr. J. z. Greene. our State or
ganizer OF the Farmers Union: e. G..
FAIRIES. State Secretary: DR.. ]. NJ.
Templeton. vice-president, of Cary,
and Mr.. w. G. Crowder, Of
the State Executive Committee Of
the Union. will meet in conference
with the Commissioner Of Agriculture
Graham, Of Raleigh, and Mr.. f. 5.
Watson: Commissioners Of Agricul-
ture,~ Of South Carolina, and Mr.. j.
G.. Anderson, OF Rock Hill. S. c., the
utho OF the so-called Rock Hill
plan for the reduction of cotton acre
age. The purpose of the conference
is to devise and put into operation a
plan hat will secure a reduction Of
the acreag planted in cotton Of not
years acreage q reduction of the
mount Of fertilizer under the
n1oun used last year from % per
cent to so per cent. and also to
pledge the farmers to the diversified
ton Of crops to the extent Of plant
ing at least one acre Of cultivated
food crops for each and every acre
planted in cotton or tobacco.
THE simple reduction Of the acre
age of cotton is a temporary ex-
pedient. We must reinforce that
movement by the planting of a sufli-
cient acreage Of food crops to guar
antee under ordinary seasons the
raising Of home supplies. We Q Il
tend that if the farmers will raise
their home supplies, that Will Of ne
cessity reduce the cotton acreage and
will solve the problem Of oyer-pro.
duction. The so-called Rock Hill
plan provides simply for a reduction
in acreage of not less than % per
cent. Of last years acreage. The
Farmers Union Of this State con-
end that the enforcement Of that
proposition would work an injustice
to many farmers who have already
reduced their acreage to & minimum
We believe that the Owe production
Of cotton is due in the main to the
town merchant who insists on his
tenants that they plant cotton an(
he furnish the supplies, also to the
large landhOlder who works hun
dreds Of acres with tanalts III 4 in
sists that they should plant theil
acreage with cotton and ne fnrnisf
them their supplies from the tOwr
store. In other words, the Tsa2 r
raise from one hundred II one thou
sand bales Of cotton is the man who
Is responsible for the big crop o
cotton today. It is net .he small
one-horse or two-horse farmer vht
tills his own soil. For that reason
we have printed our pledges to b.
sent Out to the farmers in the State
not merely providing for I rcdrc
, ton Of Is per cent in cotton acreage
but also pledging every man to Plan
an equal acreage in cultivated 'os
crops thereby necessarily reducing
the cotton acreage and securing IT,
raising of home supplieS.'
Talking about the work OF tn
Jnlon, Mr.. Green said
"If members of the Farmers Union
do not turn Out as we'll as e>pcctet
at the county mass meetings which
will be no indication that t:ey ar
not interested. These Orgi1lZet
farmers meet every two weeks ii
their local Unions and once 4 nCntl
in county meetings and there is n
!, part Of the business Of farming, from
economic production - sEsttnlati
and economic distribution, That the,
have not discussed and considered
The Rock Hill plan is Il temporar
: eXpediency, an emergency measure
which is good as far as it goes, bi
the Fundamental idea of farming j
to make q living at home and t
| make farm life attractive, ana tn
Liye-at-Hon1e campaign which tn
North Carolina Farmers Union Ia
been promoting for three years got
to the bottom Of our economic error.
The organized farmers Of Nort
Carolina want something more tn
temporary cxpediences, and when y
advise that farmers plant as mar
! acres in food crops rs they plant j.