Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1914-11-23
BEGIN CAMPAIGN
ON INVESTIGATION
Short But Thorough Campaign to Be
Conducted gy Extension
Department.

by tne nrbt OF december we nope
TO start quick, short but thorough
and comprehensive campaign OF def.
mite organization for diyersihcatlon
and automatic reduction OF the cotton
acreage says statement given out
today by Clarence 0usley, director OF
extension at the A. & NJ. College, who
returned last week from Washington
, The statement continues:
This is not TO say that much has
not been done already by the college
and by voluntary organizations OF cti.
zens. Indeed. the work we are about
to undertake is only cumulative OF
what has been done by several
agencies for weeks past.
AS has been reported by some OF
the newspapers. the Texas extension
service has obtained from Washing.
ton an amendment to the Smith-Lever
budget whereby two or three men will
engage for two or three months In
utilizing commercial clubs, district
demonstration agents and county
demonstration agents in at least one
hundred Of the principal cotton coun.
ties to effect organization among
farmers by counties and neighbor-
hoods for agreed acreage in substitute
money crops adapted TO the locality
and for marketing the new crops
where they are produced. Farmers
are ready and eager TO reduce cotton
acreage II they can only see their way
clear TO finance their operations and
TO market the new crops. When a
group OF cotton farmers agree among
themselves to plant so many acres
in corn or grain sorghums. Sudan
grass. peas, peanuts, etc, they have
automatically agreed among them.
selves TO reduce their cotton acreage.
Experience shows that they will so
agree when they understand that
these other crops can be successfully
grown and marketed The problem
varies in every county and IL must
be worked out jointly by the business
men who furnish the credit and by
the farmers who produce the crops.
Extension service organizers and
district demonstration agents will
meet at College Station next Wednes-
day. November %, TO arrange itinera.
ries to begin on or about December
/. The organizers will visit as many
commercial clubs as possible and en-
deavor to have representative bust
ness men and farmers Jointly call a
mass meeting OF farmers for discus
sion and organization. The organizer
IN each case viii return TO the mass
meeting and with the district agent.
the county demonstration and the
commercial club officers will render
such assistance as is necessary.
The thought is not to organize and
direct the farmers, but TO aid them
in organizing and directing them.
selves, as has been done in Brazos
and other counties when representa-.
tive farmers have been organized into
diversifcation and marketing asso'
Citations, with their own committees
on production. on marketing and on
organization and education.
These conferences will develop
among business men an intimate
knowledge of what their farmers need
in order to escape cotton bondage and
among farmers a realization of what
they can accomplish by acting in con
cert
I'VE have all talked and written a
lot: we have had many public gath
erings and we have advocated various
kinds of relief, legislation and other
wise, all of which has been more or
less helpful and educative. The time
has now come for final. definite action
in reducing theory to practice.
In undertaking this work the col.
lege does not mean to disparage the
excellent work being done by other
agencies. II is only utilizing the
means at hand and It invites the
hearty cooperation of all citizens,
organized and unorganiZed. II appeals
especially to the commercial organi.
cation, merchants and bankers. They
cannot employ their agencies and eX-
ercise their influence to a better ad-
vantage between now and planting
time than by assisting in the work Of
definite and permanent organization
among farmers.
THE itineraries Of the extension
service organizers will be announced
in few days.
Meanwhile 1t is to be remembered
that the demonstration agents of the
Federal Department of Agriculture
throughout the South are to be in
structed to render active aid in Or
ganization for agreed acreage in d.
versifed crops which will work an
automatic reduction of cotton acre
age.
"This all means new era for
Southern agriculture II we make the
most NJ the onnnrtunitv"