Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-11-01
Miseellaneo,ls Rrading.
BUSINESS OF FARMING.
There is as Much Room for Develop
nnert as in Other Lines.

There is as Much Room for Develop.
ment as in Other Lines.
Southern Farming" published al
Atlanta, had the following letter from
Mr. Ira B. Dunlap, cashier of the Ma
tional Union Bank, in its issue Of Sep
tember %:
Sir: Our bank has offered prizes for
the greatest average yield, and also
for the greatest net profit made on
four acres to the farmers of our ter
ritory. Each contestant was required
to plant one acre in cotton, one in
corn, one in potatoes, and one in cane.
The editor of Southern Farming asked
me to explain in few words just what
led up to the offering Of these prizes.
In the first place, there were 80 many
different suggestions made during last
year as to how the price Of cotton could
help but think some along that line.
The cotton farmers might form a
syndicate large enough to corner the
cotton, and in that way necessarily
raise the price. They might also one
year reduce the acreage to a sufficient
amount to cut Off the production, but
II people will only think about this for
little while they will see that both Of
the above propositions can only be
temporary.
The farmer Is like everyone else.
Just as soon as he sees where he can
make a good profit, whether in plant
ing cotton, corn, or anything else, he
is going to plant the crop from which
he finds he can make the most money.
So If we should raise the price Of cot
ton one year by buying all Of it in
sight, or by curtailing the crop. the
next year every cotton farmer would
do his utmost to raise every bale pos
sible, and in this way destroy any good
that might have been accomplished
through either Of the above plans.
My idea is to show that there Is more
money in planting other crops, and
that is the reason we offered the prizes
for a four-acre contest. There are
very few farmers who take the trouble
to figure out the profits on the differ
ent crops they plant, and very few Of
them realize that the cotton crop Is
one of the most expensive crops to raise.
I believe that our contest will demon
strate that there is considerably more
money in planting feed stuffs at their
present prices than there Is in planting
cotton. While we do not expect large
number Of them to take advantage Of
the information gained by this contest,
good many Of them will, and in this
way our local farming interests will
be improved.
Few people realize the enormous
amount Of capital which the south
has invested in order to put the cot
ton in marketable condition. There
are very few towns in South Caro-
lima Of any size that have not $780,
900 to s1,O00,O00 invested in cotton
mills. There is not a town in South
Carolina that has 81 invested in
granary. The same conditions exist all
over the south. If we had invested in
granaries and roller mills one-tenth as
much money as we have invested in
cotton mills, you would see that the
south's farm lands would be worth
from 500 to $50 and acre where they
are now worth from $40 to $40.
These things Of course, are all going
to come in time, and we cannot expect
everything to be done at once. The
best thing that can be done is for those
who have influence to lend that infiu-
ence in the right direction.
Ira B. Dunlap.