Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-09-25
nv Peter Radford, of the Texas Farm

mer next in Importance to distribution
is diversifcation, for what is needed Is
as necessary information to the farmer
as where it is needed. Many states
and countries boast of their powers of
diversifcation, but few of them exer-
else it. In this article l shall use
Texas to illustrate conditions which
exist in all other states.
Build wall around Texas and We
would starve to DEATH This statement
is made in defiance of gilded phrases
used by orators and stock expressions
employed by sensational writer's in
| picturing the glories and achievements
of Grand Old Texas. The idea thar
Texas is now an independent indus
trial example is a phantom thought
that should be driven from the life Of
this state While the Texas farmer is
blowing his field, he boards in Europe
or takes his meals with his neighbors
a thousand miles away. We should
versiiy our products so we can dine at
home and enjoy the comforts and lux
uries of home life.
l have before me balance sheet of
Texas production and consumption
prepared by the Texas Commercial
Secretaries AMI Business Mems asso-
citation showing that out of thirty-threa
agricultural products which we pro-
duced, and of which we also consume
we have a surplus in only two-cotton
and rice. We lead all other states in
the union in production of cattle, yet
our livestock statistics show net loss
in consumption over production of ST.
100000 per annum, due to heavy con-
sumption of pork and other meat pro-
ducts which are shipped in from Other
states. What is true of Texas applies
with local variation to all states ant
to the nation as whole.
Clothes The World; Buys Bread.
Our civilization has charged Texa
I farmers with the responsibility o
I clothing twenty per cent. of the popu
4 lation of the globe, but the burdel
! Of providing raiment for 300,00000
! people is not a valid excuse for gu
z begging bread from door to door o
I our neighboring states. | hold tina
every farmer should live at home W
can and should, as a rule, produce OF
the farm all the things We consume
as we'll as supply home markets, an
3 when this is done, we have made rapt
Z progress toward eliminating waste ant
I inefficiency in living. AS farmers, W
4 must study the pantry of our commun
J ity and nation and see that its want
Z are supplied.
J Empty Shelves in Nations Larder.
The farmers of the United States d
I not properly balance the nations ra
! tons Our farmers cultivate large
I areas and produce quantities of prod
( ucts per capita than the people of an
I other nation on the globe. We live i
waste and luxury and send a surplu
of over a billion dollars of agriculture
products per annum TO foreign lands
and without our exports, the worl
would go hungry and shiver with cold
We export 10,675,00O bales of cotton
40,000,000 bushels OF corn; 10000
900 bushels of wheat; livestock AM
its products. $1S6OOO,O' O, and miscel
/ laneous products valued at 1927 ,000,00t
\ per annum. But Notwithstanding tht
envable record of the American far
fer as producer. the nations lardel
\ has empty shelves, as we'll as those
that overflow.
We call upon foreign countries TO
approximately a quarter of billion
dollars of agricultural products an
nualy which can and should be RAISED
in the United States | Will mentio
a few CT them: Vegetables, $18,00000
itemized as follows: Potatoes, $1,000,
000 canned vegetables $5,000,000:
beans, $1.S75,000; peas, $1,516.O0O; on
ions, 1924 900; other vegetables, 81,
10000 In dairy products we import