The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1914-11-20
AFTER COTTON WHAT?
PEOPLE ARE ASKING
Demand is General, Incessant and In
sistrnt for InformatiOn-Rapi
Tour of State by Expert.

Iioil WHICH Is presenting lISeu very
forcibly to the people of the State
since the adjournment of the legiSla-
turc, and f.. j. Watson, commissioner
of agriculture, it has a special ap-
peal. The legislature made no pro-
vision for the encouragement or the
stimulating of varied agriculture, but
merely said "Thou Shalt Not"
To thousands of farmers in South
Carolina this injunction will mean
nothing, for there are in this State
many men who are even now engaged
in reducing the acreage of cotton, and
they need no instruction in this mat
ter, but the great bulk of farmers Of
South Carolina know nothing but cot
ton. To be sure there are a dozen
crops that may be raised here with
success, but the question is where to
get the seed, when to plant, how to
fcrtilize. and finally how to market.
These are the things that just at this
time are appealing to Commissioner
Watson. how to get this information
before the people who need it. And
the information must be given at
once, for with the passing of each
day the time for planting grain is
drawing to a close.
Commissioner Watson lone has en-
'N'tN'l'' W ScI lilt ptOblc W ulNelSl-
fy their crops. and there are many,
many thoughtful men in the State
who have done so, but the man to be
reached is the man with the small
crop, and that is why the campaign to
take the information to him will be-
gin today.
Great Awakening Already.
There is great awakening in some
I
last few weeks Marlboro, Florence,
Anderson and Barnwell are reported
to have enlisted in the grain campaipn
and to have organized companies to
build grain elevators and to handle
grain and grain products. Lack of
such facilities has been the great de-
tcrring factor in the past Many far
mcrS would have raised more grain
# they had had Il steady market for
their products. The elevator compan-
les could not only handle the grain
but could manufacture cattle and
horse and hog feeds from the grains
and the peas and the other farm pro
ducts. Hundreds of thousands of
dollars every year are sent out of the
State for manufactured feeds that
could be turned out in the State and
in local grain elevators with little
capital. The farmers might under
take, this themselves on the coopera-
tive basis.
The advantage of getting the grain
crop in early is that after it is har-
vested next year, acrop of corn may
be produced upon the same land.
Some farmers have produced three
crops within II or IA months on one
piece of land. Cowpeas in the early
fall, followed by grain and then by
late corn is rotation that builCssCay-
rather than teaches the soil.
There is dual advantage in pro-
ducing grain at home. In the first
place it saves the expense of buying
from dealers, who make different and
significant kinds of profit; in the sec.
ond place the grain that is indigen.
Gus is better. Northern grain has
been found by the chemists to be in
ferior for use here to that produced in
the South.
No Fear of Surplus.
Commissioner Watson says that
there need be no fear of the South
market would be glutted and the
prices showed down, for the proper
ton of grain raised in the South to
the shortage in the whole crop of the
world would be negligible. The Ar
gentine. Australian and other crops of
wheat have failed and of course Eu-
rope is suffering. Wheat is likely to
bring 50 per bushel next year, and
all grains will command high price. !
although cotton will not. unless the |
production is diminished almost to the |
vanishing point.
There are numerous crops that may |
be planted later on that will brine a |
return more remunerative than cot
ton but Commissioners Watson advises |
that every farmer in the State begin |
right now to prepare his land for
grain. There is a plenty of seed grain,
he says, and he will be glad to a sist |
in getting it. Soon it will be too ate |
to plant grain. The commissioner |
further advises that the cotton area
limit fixed by the legislature is made |
Ouate and he urges that the farmers |
do not confine themselves to the terms |
of the act, but that they plant at Least |
onc-half of their acreage now in |
small grain and follow this next year
with corn.
In the trip over the State 10 be |
made by Commissioner Watson. Di- |
rector Long and Agriculturist Smith,
beginning today, all of the details |
will be laid before the farmers. but |
the particular advice for this time is |
to wait not day, but to get to work |
at once, preparing the land and pro-
curing the seed
There is a great demand in the |
State for information in regard to |
planting grain. The extent of this de- |
mand is shown in the letters Commis-
sioner Watson is receiving. Wade |
Stackhouse, M. d., of Dillon, prcsi- |
don't of tho South Carol;n, J;,,; -, - 6 /