Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-10-31

10 increased while with the too oH.
elusive culture of cotton the fertility
rapidly decreases.
The most destructive and energetic
insect that the world has ever known
In gradually covering the cotton belt ]
There is one hope and only one hope
for the farmers, and that is the diver
sification Of crops. The adoption Of
q sane and safe system of farming
one that will grow grasses, legumin6us
crops, oats, corn, hogs, sheep. cattle.
mules, horses and some cotton will
solve the boil weevil problem.
The credit system is the curse of the
cotton belt. It sweeps the earnings Of
toll from the masses into the Golfers
of the few. Some years ago the COM
missioner of agriculture Of Georgia,
after careful inquiry Of several hun
dred, found that the average rates
charged the farmers for extension OF
credit from April and May to October
and November was "a per cent. per
annum over and above the cash price.
Wives and children were compelled to
work in the heat and cold from jan
uary until December to pay the "a per
cent credit profits. Diversiflcation Of
crops will abolish the credit system.
We are sending millions Of dollars
to other sections of the country every
year to pay for pork products, mules,
horses and other farm products. d.
versif1cation of crops will keep this
money at home, our banks will soon
be full to overlooking and the rate Of
interest lowered to say per cent. be-
cause of the abundance of money.
Then we will have the necessary
money to pay good teachers better sal
aries to teach longer terms. to builS
comfortable homes and good roads
and properly equip our farms.
Diversification is the only remedy
for low-priced cotton. There is no
sane man who does not know that we
will get more money for 100000
than we will for 100000 bales. The
history of the past 20 years is proof
positive of this statement We all
know that large crops of cotton mean
a low price and that a low price for
cotton means poverty and wretched-
ness all over the cotton belt This be-
ing true. why will our farmers and
their wives and children toll in the
heat and cold in large cotton fields to
grow large crops Of cheap cotton to
pay for high-price corn, oats, bacon,
lard, mules and other farm products
with the profits Of several middle men,
supply merchants and railroads added?
The growing of every farm product
necessary for home use will curtail the
production of cotton, raise the price
to at least IL cents per pound and
enable US to use the money obtained
for cotton to build good roads, mag
nificent homes, churches and school
houses and fill our banks to overflow
ing. Life on the farm will then be
free. unfettered by the bands OF prom
issory obligations and our position In
the world made conspicuous by that
independence which the farmer alone
can enjoy in the fullest significance
of the term.
Every farmer should raise his own
teamwork stock. 1t Is true that mil
lions are sent out of the cotton belt
each year for mules and horses, but
this is not the main reason why your
attention is called to this subject at
this time. Probably one Of the two
chief causes Of poverty in the cotton
belt is the one-horse pillow. The small
mule and turning pillow Is a guarantee
of shallow soil devoid Of vegetable
matter. A shallow soil devoid Of veg
etable matter means small crops and
poor farmers.
Farmers who buy their work stock
never have enough for the sconom.
ical production of crops. We have
about one-fourth the horse power
and earn about one-fourth as much
money as farmers in some other sec
tons OF the country.
Farmers who buy feed stuffs to feed
pillow teams never raise sufficient farm
work stock to supply their needs. We
buy feed stun and this Is the main
reason why we have about one-fourth
as many horses and mules as farm
ers In other sections Of the country.
We can save the millions Of dollars
paid out for mules and horses each
year and bring In millions from the
sale Of mules and horses, but a great
er profit will come from securing In
this way sufficient work stock fol
economical crop production.