The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1914-12-25
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1t is matter for regret that the
| farmers Of South Carolina and the
business men of the towns and cities
are so far apart and have so many
! differences. Conditions in this re-
spect are certainly not as bad now as
they have once been, but at present
they are bad enough. However,
thanks to the agricultural colleges,
the farm demonstrators, the farmers
Institutes, and similar affairs, the
| farmer has grown to understand the
business man better and in turn the
business man understands the farmer
better. Yet there is room for i'm
provement.
Many farmers have an idea that
the minute they cross the city line,
coming into town, every man in town
&ill begin looking for an advantage
to fleece the farmer out of his hard
earned money. Of course this is not
true with all the farmers or with even
majority of them but that it is true
with some is settled fact.
Evidently all the farmers in Texas
are of this class, judging by letter
recently sent out by well known
Texas concern. This letter cannot
apply in Yorkville or in South Caro-
lint for that matter, but it was not
written for York county people. How
ever, since there is certainly some
thing of interest in the letter it is
| reproduced in order to give York
county farmers an idea of how they
look at the cotton situation in Texas:
awe are not in the cotton business,
| but we know enough to say that an
article or a commodity is only worth
what it will bring when it is offered
for sale. If cents per pound, or
even cents per pound, is all that a
farmer can get for cotton, then that
is all cotton is worth regardless of
what it costs to raise it.
at is said that farmer cannot
raise cotton at less than 10 cents pei
pound, yet great many thousand
farmers got rich, or at least indie
pendant, raising it at 7 cents pei
pound, and that was when everything
else that he raised was sold at very
much lower figure than is ruling to
day. Besides this, he didn't get $7.O(
per bale for seed as he gets today.
"We give you the following com
parisons:
"He buys a hoe for SOC that used t.
cost 75c.
"He buys a file at 15c that used tt
cost 35c.
"He buys single tree at 35c tha
used to cost soc.
"He buys a sweep at &c that uset
% cost 15c per pound.
ale buys plier at 75c that used t,
cost $500.
"He buys nails at &c that used t.
cost DC per pound.
"He buys wire at 3 1-2c that use,
to cost 1Oc per pound.
"He buys names at SOC that used t.
cost 75c.
"He buys traces at 45c that used t.
cost 75c.
ale pays 6Oc for picking where h
used to pay $1.00.
"He borrows money at per cent
TO 10 per cent. where he used to pa
IL and Is per cent.
"He sells wheat at $1.00 that use,
to bring 60c.
ale sells oats at soc that used t.
bring 18c.
"He sells corn at 75c that used t,
bring 15c.
"He sells hay at $14.OO that used t.
bring $40O.
"He sells turkeys at 1925 an,
| ooiieIitiieS Pf.oo tlidt uSeu 10 DTlnS W
| to 75c.
"He sells chickens at $3.50 tha
used to sell at $1.25 to $1.5O pc
dozen.
"He sells horse at $15Oto $22J
that used to sell from $50 to 500.
"When he was confronted with tn
above conditions he bought land OF
time, cleared it, fenced it, and 500,
'aid for it, raising cotton at 7c ne
pound. But if, indeed. he is maxim,
less profit this year than formerly
the same condition is true with you
and with us, and with the business
4 xvo,Il - lnuo.oy Vo~l, No,uo