The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-10-11
SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE HoUsToNs ADVICE To
-


among the utteances and advice offered in the opinion
te&encer there has nothing been said with more sense to
custom National Secretary Agriculture He does not a.
at me legislatures shall stringent laws restricting the acr
cGon hext year bu that there is no other feasible
gH ABOUT wise action the part of Southern farmers
INSTRUCTIVE PLAN"
But let Mr.. Houston tell this HIMSELF
hI the officers OF the Department of Agriculture imme-
daey concerned have given most and prolonged
consideration to the problems presented to the Southern
farmer by the breaking the European war We are
definitely OF the opinion that there is other feasible way
farmers except through the proposal and adoption of
constructive plan In the face of past experience and
knowledge of the human element involved it does not
seem kely that an effort to induce Southern farmers SIM
ply 10 restrict acreage Will solve the problem In the past
such an effort has been made II has been found that
where agreements have been made to reduce acreage they
have not ben obSrved and that instead of reduction Of
acreage resulting there has been increase and the pro-
Others would reduce acreage have increased theirs and
the the result has been that which have indicated
IL he eco constructive str plan which appeals to this Department
the farmers the fact that in the year in the next
few years the prices of all fooduffs are likely to be high
and that it is the part of wisdom for the farmers of the
country to make every effort to take advantage of the
situation and to increase their products of foodstu so
think wise to produce grains such as wheat and corn
or @ foreign export or for interstate shipment in competi
should recognize the wisdom of,produciing enough Of
these commodities for home consumption and for the in
s, sreommunJ market Many of se Southern States i'm
port many millions of dollars worth of grain each year
With the increasing prices of these products it is
icaly unsound for the South to rely largely other
sections for them seems clear to this Department that
southern farmers should at least produce grains for home
consumption as means of cutting down the family ex
penses, and that they might increase their production of
chickens guineas turkeys and 70 the point at least
of supplying their needs aHdD:the needs of their
neso1 esn s Mh adequate attention to marketing they
Shipment ! am told that the number of poultry on the
average Ohio farmm is approximately 125, while the
number on the average South Carolina farm is about Ia.
The same comparison would doubtless obtain with refer
ence to most of the Southern States. This situation
should be remeded and be remeded. The whole
ton confronted with problem of securing enough meat
for its own consumption Too exclusive attention in the
past has been given to the production of the large ami
mals such beef cattle and to the production of these
on the big ranch, which in measure disappearing.
We are confronted with decreasing meat supply and
rapidly increasing population 1t is obvious to everybody
VINO thinks that much larger part OF the meat
sumption Of the nation might we'll be the consumption Of
ter of fact very large percentage today of the
sumed is of this kind The production of these smaller
animals can be very considerably increased if each ndi
vidual farmer will give his attention to their production
and they can be increased and qcK Increased without
relieving the farmer of the expense of securing his meat
from remote States paying transportation aud middle
keting they be shipped beyond the community. If
the Southern farmer will give his attention next year and
ton by saving manure, thereby reducing his fertilizer BILL
and by planting winter cEaps, especially winter e
gumes he can secure the ures relief for himself and for
his community in this emegeney can bring about
wiser objection of his activities prominent part of ag
cultural economy in the South In this direction it
to me lies the wise of much larger percentage of the
Southern farmers labor and captaland of his land The
Department urges that the Southern farmer follow this
direction the sures of increasing his returns and
of bringing about better foundation for prosperity in the
South If he had done this lin recent years he would
have means of subsistence and would not be COM
peled in many instances to part with his cotton i'm
medately s1nari ~
recognize that there have been mpediments placed in
the way of many Southern farmers in his attempt to d.
vrsiy his agriculture by failure of banks and merchants
10 extend hirn credit other things than cotton. 1t
to that this has been shortsghted the part of
banks and merchants. After ALL the character of the nd
vidual is the foundation of credit, and again It is almost
trus thai is important to guarantee that credit
extended shall be wisely used than that it shall be
tended at ALL The bankers and merchants should coop
crate with the farmers in asceainng what the wsest
of credit and in directing the application of capital and
labor into the most fraitful channels