The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-11-12
. To THE FARMERS
OF TENNESSEE
BY CAPT. T. F. PECK,
Commissioner of Agriculture.
The Farmers Opportunity.


While we all deplore existing con-
ditions in Europe, we cannot fail to
see in those conditions opportunities
for better markets for our food pro-
ducts. The people of Europe must be
fed and ours is the market they will
look to largely for food products. We
know that there is nearly double the
number of men engaged in war in Eu-
rope that we have engaged in agricul-
ture in the United States. We have
our own people engaged in other lines
than farming to feed so there can be
no question about market demands.
The trade from South America will
be shifted largely from Europe to the
United States. The prosperity of
South America will also be doubly
ours, for not only will we share in
the prosperity of South America, but
we will thrive through the fact that
ductiye work in order to destroy.
The factories of France, Germany
and Austria are closed, but manufac-
turing in England will continue as
never before. 1t is not at all probable
,
Great Britain will see to it that a
pathway across the sea is kept clear
and this will mean that a goodly
quantity of our cotton will be absorb
ed in England.
Great Britain is the best foreign
customer of the United States. Great
Britain buys from us every year goods
to the extent of five hundred million
dollars. We buy from Great Britain
goods to the extent of two hundred
million dollars. This means a bal
ance in our favor of about three hun
dred million dollars.
Endland does not produce enough
food to take care of her people, and
for the next year she will make big
demands upon us for food products.
But we will purchase from the con-
tinental countries less than we ever
have in the past, simply because these
countries will have little to sell. Ev-
erything they produce will be con-
be consumed or destroyed, and this
will mean for us bigger trade bal
ance in our favor than we have ever
known.
There are owned in Europe Ameri-
can securities in bonds, stocks and
mortgages to the extent of about one
billion dollars. These securities will
be offered back to us at very much
decreased price because Europe will
need the money.
And certain it is that our prosperity
will enable us to absorb these securi-
ties, thus paying off our debts at a
good big cash discount.
We are producing people. Our
wealth was not gotten by conquest,
exploitation or annexation. We have
plowed it out of the soil, cut it out
of the forest, mined it out of the
mountains.
In America there are no war lords.
We have not even militant suffra-
gets. The armed bully has no foot
ing here. We are farmers, manufac-
turers, transporters, miners, mer-
chants, and when all Europe has gone
crazy fighting, destroying and all the
time consuming and only a few com
paratively producing, this is our OPP
portunity. And we are going to i'm
prove it.
Now it is up to us as farmers to
make the most of our opportunity. We
should produce food, grain and live
stock. We know that we have sur
plus of cotton. We know that a large
foreign demand for our cotton has
been cut off. So let's plan our crops
to supply the increased demand for
food products.
To profit by the present opportun-
ity means intelligent work. We can
not accomplish anything by idle Cos
sip. But If we will make the plant
food in our soils available, select the
right kind of crops, prepare the
ground properly, use good seed and
thorough cultivation, we can produce
bountiful crops and rest assured of a
good market for all we produce if we
prepare 1t properly for the market.
This opportunity is not only for next
year, but it will take a decade to re-
store conditions in Europe disturbed
by the present war. If we profit by
the opportunity open to us, we can
permanently establish market for
the products of our farms. mines ana
manufactures.