The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1914-11-27
Meeting Held at Cham
ber of Commerce.
People Warned Not to
Plant too Much Cotton
and Urged to Build Grain
Elevator = Brought Out
Some Startling Facts.


the cost of handling of grain was
about two cents a bushel, whereas the
old way cost about six cents per
buShel to handle it. 1t costs about 4
cents a bushel to husk corn by hand,
by machinery is reduced to 2 1-2 to
3 cents. The principle thing in mar
keting grain is to have it clean and
dry. You then get the top of the
market.
Small grain elevators may be built
of wood or concrete; they cost from
$2.5O0 on up.
When grain is brought to the cle-
vator you simply drive up on your
wagon and without getting off the
grain is carried to the machinery. The
cost of handling per bushel is about
3-4 of cent; to this cost the clean
ing will be added.
In operating the grain elevator Of
small size, say one to carry one hun
dred thousand bushels per annum, you
Will need one man at a salary of SIS
per month and occasionally an ordi-
nary laborer will have to be added
during the harvest season. 1t will
cost around $4,000 to erect complete
plant.
Prof. Smith was next introduced
and showed the value of grading the
various grains and gave detailed in
formation as to certain plants now in
operation. He spoke of one in which
he was personally interested which
cost $11 900 and showed that the mat
ter or freight alone would pay hand
some dividends on the invested CAPT.
tai. The prices would be controlled
Nbv the Charleston-New York markets
and as he figured it out there would
always he profit of six cents per
bushel.
\ If eighty farmers would put up
800 each you would. have your ele-
vator; or il eighty farmers will pledge
themselves to deliver the first season
one hundred dollars worth of grain,
~ have your elevator I'm most of
the elevators he said the farmers
alone owned stock and that no man
was allowed to own over five shares.
If in the operation of your elevator
and you set aside 4c per bushel and
&c pays for handling then &c per BUSH
el will be profit. l advise that such
plant install a sacking machine.
There is cents per bushel difference
between stacked and bulk corn.
The one crop system is not the most
profitable system. Rock Hill has re-
Gently discovered that alfalfa is more
profitable than cotton, consequently,
they have planted eight hundred
acres in alfalfa this year, You must
use your other crops to support your
cotton, just as star football player
is backed up by other even weaker
men. 1t has been discovered from ac-
tual investigation that there must be
a four crop system to get the best re-
suits. Five combined do not show as
we'll as four. There may be for in
stance, corn, hay, wheat and dairyinp
as the four major enterprises on the
farm. Or there may be cotton, corn,
oats and wheat. Or there may be cot
ton, corn, oats and hogs. But anyway
there must be four major crops. A
man in Georgia had two hundred
acre farm; he made four thousand
dollars net, plus eight per cent on his
investment one year under the four
system idea.
South Carolina has q acres to the
mule in cultivation. The gross re-
turns are $500 per work animal for
last years yield. Suppose we allow
seven acres to the mule in cotton, six
acces in corn, six acres in oats and
hay and by readjustment the cost of
your fertilizer will be reduced; labor
will be reduced and you may use your
SHNid iaDoi odNSu III SiedliiiS w diic
getting ready for cultivation, new
ground.
Seven years from today the war
will have made me richer, if | live,
for it has forced me to these methods.
Wheat does best on red clay, while
oats thrive best on sandy soil.
A dozen farmers should unite in
buying farm machinery to handle
grain; such a combination could buy
binder and thresher. You can get
machines on two or three years time
and your increased profits will more
than pay for these machines. There
are only 100000 acres of wheat grown
in the whole State of South Carolina.
Smut can be eradicated largely b.
soaking in a weak solution of formal
dehyde while this treatment is almost
specific in eradicating smut from oats.
Commissioner f. J. Watson was
the next speaker. He said that ~
lourneying from the Laurens line to
Union he had been struck with grea.
disappointment. Union county was
in worse condition than any he hau
yet visited. The people are blind!v
waiting for something to happen for
cotton. We are up against it in South
Carolina unless we wake up. The
people in the State seem to have Civ
en- up. Our one crop idea and not tho
European war is the thing that has
ruined us. Our seeming prosperity in
the past two years, has been uut a
Il