Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1913-12-11

cotton belt. II sweeps me 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
bred, found that the average rates
charged the farmers for extension OF
credit from April and May to october
and November was 81 per cent. per
annum over and above the cash price
Wives and children were compelled to
work in the heat and cold from jan
2ary until December to pay the 81 per
cent. credit profits. Diversitication 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.
versifcation of crops will keep this
money at home, our banks will soon
be full to overlooking and the )ate 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 build
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
low price and that 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 CO, IN 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
which the farmer alone
can enjoy in the fullass significance
Of the term.
Every farmer should raise his own
lions are sent out of the cotton belt
each year for mules and horses, but
this Is not the main reason why your
attention Ia 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 a turning pillow is a guarantee
If shallow soil devoid of vegetable
matter. A shallow soil devoid of veg
stable matter means small crops and |
poor farmers.
Farmers who buy their work stock
l6NST nave SuOuSn luz luS SCOAoh-
cal production Of crops. We have
about one-fourth the horse power
Ind earn about one-fourth as much
money as farmers in some other sec
ions Of the country.
Farmers who buy feed stuffs to feed
blow teams never raise sufficient farm
work stock to supply their needs. We
,uy feed stuff and this is the main
'eason why we have about one-fourth
Is many horses and mules as farm.
RS in other sections of the country.
We can save the millions of dollars
,aid out for mules and horses each
ear and bring in millions from the
ale of mules and horses, but a great
II profit will come from securing in
his way sufficient work stock for
crop production.
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