Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-07-30
ENFORCED ECONOMY

the amount of money they borrowed
On their crops, it should serve a good
purpose even then. 1t is unfortunate
that farmers when they can borrow
money too often borrow to the very
limit This year, however, they hay c
to a large degree been compelled to
curtail their borrowing, which will
work out to their advantage in the
long run. Enforced economy is better
than no economy at all, for, as an ex-
change observes:
Last year, the year before and the
year before that, the average sma ]
farmer, taking advantage of the ease
with which he could secure money at
.ne banks and in advances from other
sources, raised his cotton crop, sold 1t
and with the proceeds took up, with
interest, the paper he had given bank
ers, warehousemen and supply houses.
For many years the average farmer
has been farming mostly on paper =
for the other fellow. He has fallen
into the habit of working the borrow
ing game to the limit; 5000 to $500 to
the pillow. The money he borrowed he
spent before his fields whitened-for
farmers are human and, like other
folks, spend more freely when theV
have the ready cash in fat pocket
books-and along about October list 4
bunch of cancelled notes and relieved
mortgages was about all his cotton
crop had netted him.
This year, even should cotton bring
no more than 10 cents, there will not
be so many notes to take up and few
err mortgages and liens to satisfy. For
the farmer, in common with other
folks-though he is generally prone to
consider himself alone in these little
dscomforting things in life-is this
summer experiencing more or less
difficulty in securing advances Ready
money, for reasons that are obvious
to any man who takes the trouble TO
do a little thinking for himself, is not
SO easy just now that he can step into
bank and, with a mere scratch d
the pen, fill his purse with crisp new
bills of pleasing denomination. This
year the farmer is farming for HIM
self and for his family, and on the
land rather than on paper for the
other fellow; and while to some of
them the new arrangement is working
temporary annoyance-for it is an
noying, the lack of ample funds
when the cotton fields grow white and
the negroes begin to sing as they
pluck the fieecy staple from the burst
ing bolls, the melody will bring more
satisfaction to the man who has per
haps put up with little hardship, for
his bright, new bales will belong II
him; the price they bring will fill his
pockets with his own money, and he
will have the laugh on the banker an,
some other folks.
The condition which at present is
forced upon many small farmer, and
not a few extensive planters, is con-
dition which the more progressive IF
them have been trying for years to
persuade the cotton-grower to enforce
upon himself. In short, to economic,
to do without many unnecessary
things, to borrow just as little as pos
sible on the unmade crop, and, il
necessary, to do a little cramping to
pull through one crop year in order &c
get even with the world. 1t is a greal
deal easier to stay even after the
farmer has an even start than it is tt
Atch up once he gets behind.
Blessings which come in disguise
sometimes cause those upon whom
they are visited great deal of need
less worry, for the simple reason that
instead of trying, to penetrate the dis
guise to find the blessing, they accep