The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-09-18
FARMERS
UNION NEWS
Practical Thoughts for Practical
Farmers
Conducted by T.. w. Dabbs. Pres
ident S. c. Farmers Union.)


For more than a week il has been
impossible to write anything for this
department With the care the subjects
should have. On my way to the ma -
tlonal meeting of the Farmers Union
at Chattanooga, l stopped off on Sat
urday evening at Mascot, in Spartan
burg County, to meet with the only
i've union in that county. The
brethren there are very much alive,
and in spite Of the heat, turned out in
good numbers. / am to go back
again for a week when they have ar
ranged for organization of local
unions at several nearby points.
Sunday and Monday were pleasant
ly spent in Asheville, the only draw
back being the intense heat, Monday
night from 10 p. m. to a. m. Tues
day was spent on the train from
Asheville to Chattanooga. Three
days were spent in attendance on the
meetings of the National Union, and
one day with the Tennessee State
Union. AT least a dozen Of the South
Carolina brethren should have gone
with me to these meetings. The Ma
tional meeting would have given them
far more respect for the organizat ton
and better insight into it's plans than
any report | can give. Then for en-
thusiasm ahe Tennessee folk are top
n9tehers. Both meetings were char
acteriged bY full and free discussions.
No one man, nor set OF men, had their
OWE way. What was done was after
careful consideration. If the critics
coulG have been there ahey would see
the wisdom even Of things they do not
approve, becauSe they do not under
stand.
The wsather was so h1t that writ.
ing was out Of the question so that
many things that would have made
Interesting reading If sent direct from
the meetings will never he written.
Om one Of the afternoons ne secured
) sight seeing cars; carrying % pas
sengers each, and 20 autoA and took
a 40 mile ride over the bateIefields Of
Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge.
And nearly ali Of us went ap the in
ciinoa railwaT to the top OF Lookout
MOunsain. Both weroA very interesting
trips At Chickamauga l saw where
Kershaw's brigade deuloyedL and was
perhaps withir three hundred yards
of whHre LieuC Col HDole' vas kill
ed as he led the Sth Regiment on the
charge up Snodgrass, h.ll.
Saturday morning at daylight the
delegates all left the city for their
homes. A daylight trip OF $50 miles
from Chattanooga to Skyland. ten
miles this side of AsheNilIe, was In
teresting; enough for a latter itself.
And so was the stay of two days at
Skyland, and. the "trip h@'ne Monday.
But space will not permit Five miles
out from Skylani we saw the beau,
tffnl hOInp of the. late Bin Nye, where
he planted corn with a sPast gun on his
hillside farm and sigw his choice
apples roll DOWN the. hll and on to
the lands of hts ueigabOr Wander
bilt CO.. Through Spartanburg
County we saw the rav;iSes of the red
spider au the cotton. And on the en.-
tire trip thousands of acres of corn
and cotton that will not pay rent. tn
Tennessee the most impressive farm
ing items We're the splendid fields of
hay in stacks or cocks, the lands al
ready broken for the fall grain crop,
and the splendid sorghum patches.
L,