Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-07-14
negro Farmers
in MO. PROSPER
They Live Well, are Con-
tended and Have Mon
ey in Bank.
WE'LL KEPT FAR M S
Four Thousand of Them Happier Than
Negroes in Cities, as Shown BY
Statistics Prepared By
State Officials.

Jefferson City. July 13.-Farming
offers an inducement to Missouri me-
groes unsurpassed by any other call
ing and solves the problem of their
future by giving them opportunities
and advantages which no other voca-
ton holds out, declares Commissioner
John T. Fitzpatrick. in Bureau of
Labor Statistics bulletin given out
today. Statistical facts which are
given indicate that negroes who are
farming in Missouri are making a
success of it, are prosperous, con-
tented and entirely satisfied with the
life.
The negro population of Missouri
is lo7.4o2 men, women and children,
with 1890 living in St. Louis; 1866
in Kansas City; 4,249 in ST. Joseph;
1895 in Springfield; sol in Joplin;
1871 in Sedalia; 1886 in Hannibal
and the others scattered over the
state, including the few that now
own farms and others engaged in
husbandry.
Out of the 100000 farms in Mis-
souri, approximately 1888 are owned
by negroes. They range in size from
three to 26O acres and are worth,
thing else on them, $27, 76S,750.
The farm of the average Missouri
negro farmer, just like that of his
white brother. the bulletin says, is
we'll kept and we'll stocked, and is
very produce, growing wheat, corn,
oats, grasses, watermelons, strawber-
ries, peaches, apples and all other
food necessities. Negroes raise pc>N-
try for the market, sell eggs. milk and
butter. and have bee hives and plenty
of honey, produce sugar cane which,
in fall, they boil out for sorghum mo-
lasses. Their daily menu is made of
the best things they produce, being
far superior to that of the average
city negro, who half the time is out
of work and has no money to buy
food
Find Joy in Farm Life.
The life Of the negro farmer is full
of comforts and joy. In winter most
of them are we'll housed, warm, snug
and we'll fed. Free fuel furnished by
the timbered lands in and around
their farms does away with coal
bills. Every Sunday there are chick
en-, sweet potatoes, honey, dumplings.
apples, nuts and other dainties, with
strawberries or watermelon in sum-
mer or turkey or duck and mince or
pumpkin pie in winter. Fresh eggs
and hickory smoked ham are an ordi-
nary breakfast.
Nearly every negro farmer of Mis-
souri, has a bank account and his
profits allow him to take vacation
in st. Louis. Kansas City or some 9TH
err metropolis once or twice year. He
owns three or four suits of clothes,
with shoes and hats to match.
Supervisor of Statistics A. 7. Ed
monston states in the bulletin that
any Missouri city or town negro with
$1,000 in cash and little knowledge
of farming can become a farmer and
in four or five years have his farm
pair for and be independent and we'll
off financially.
A first payment OF. $500 would be
the opening wedge toward getting the
farm. leaving $500 for purchasing
farm implements or other articles
which may be needed The balance
due ,on the farm can be paid off in
small weekly installments from the
money derived from the sale OF crops
and poultry. butter, eggs and milk.
Many farms have wooded areas full OF
oak and other timber suitable for lum-
Der and ties.
In winter time could be given to
cutting and marketing such timber
and enough earned that way to pay
the yearly installment. This is the