The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-10-10
FARMERS
UNION NEWS
PRACTICAL Thoughts for Practical
Farmers.
Conducted by Il. w. Dabbs, Pres
tdcnt 5. &. Farmers 'Vnion.)
Some Random Thoughts.


A"e news and Courier Of Friday
suggests that l am mistaken in askinn
Clemson College to promote the hold.
ing movement. Says that Clemson ;s
"oihs all that it can do, that the
thlnS TO do is to provide crops to take
the place of cotton next year. "Rus.
ticus in the State of Saturday very
pertinently says that very few farmers
nave the money to buy "inoculation"
at S2 per acre for winter leyumcs. q,
10 buy seed ut from $3.50 per acre to
$500 per acre not to count the labor
of plowing them in.
Inc Item very truly says unless q
market Is provided for these grains
and hay crops "the harvest next sprinr
Will bring no relief" There is an in
sistent demand for legislation curtail.
ing the acreage in cotton. and wish
TO repeat that if facilities for market
ing the crop that will be grown to take
the place Of cotton are not provided
the last state of our farmers will be
worse than the present.
1t Is all very we'll to talk about the
high prices Of everything we may have
to sell now in the food line. But we
all know that without local facilities
Tor handling grain and hay and prop
er connection to resell them in the
larger markets, the local market will
he easily contested, and small farm
ers will not be able to sell for enough
to pay for hauling to market.
The News and Courier would say
Clemson had big enough job to
persuade the farmers to produce
these crops, the farmers must make
their own arrangements to sell" And
such reasoning charactcrizes much
good advice" so freely given to the
farmers.
The county union met at Trinity on
Friday and after long discussion Of
the situation, proposed that only 1-3
of the land actually under cultivation
should be planted in cotton and that
IL the way be clear under the cOnsti-
tuition for such a measure to be en-
acted into law that it be made to COW
er at least three years to give time for
farmers to adjust themselves to the
change. Tho union was opposed to
swinging from one extreme to another
to swing right back again in another
year
1t also demanded that scientific
plan Of marketing be inaugurated by
the national and state governments,
declaring that any limitation of pro-
duction by law carried with it the OBJ
legation to finance and market.
1t would use this emergency to
focus the attention of the national and
state governments upon the need of
agricultural banks and declared that
"better marketing and better banking
facilities are the crying need of South
ern farmers.
1t Is not In favor of q greater cX-
tension of taxes than at present pro-
vided. believing it would be unwise to
postpone for one year the payment of
taxes and thereby make two years
collections come in one year.
1T will meet on the first Fridays in
November, December, January, Feb
ruary and March in the court house,
ana will expect as hospitable enter
tainmcnt frCm the city members as
the county members extended to them
in the bOuntiful picnics during the
summer months this year and in the
years that have passed. Will they do
it? If course they will.
L. w. D.