Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-11-13
AS SEEN BY Mr.. BLAIR
Demonstration Agent Gives His Views
on Agricultural Situation.

Editor Yorkville Enquirer:
OF course it is needless for me to say
that the present situation has boiled
down to what l predicted 1t would
from the start; but it has boiled down
to what l thought it would all along.
have said from the starting Of the A.
financial crisis caused by the European
war that the situation would after IA
great deal Of talk, planning and schem-
ing) end up with a great deal Of talk
, and sympathy and at the end leave it
to the individual to work out his own
salvation. Preachers can preach elo-
quent sermons, hold great revival
meetings and stir up great
deal of religious enthusiasm by point
ing out and telling how souls must be
saved, but If the individual doesn't
take heed, repent and live right why
his soul will be lost anyway regardless
of the eloquent sermons that he has
heard preached by eloquent ministers
of the Gospel, and now this is the way
the whole thing will work out in our
present financial situation.
Every one Of us must start right
now and repent of our old sins Of de-
pending entirely on cotton, robbing
our soils, eXtravagant living, and re-
garding a debt as a plaything. There
fore we must prepare to diversity our
farming, live at home and go in debt
as little as we can. OF course / will
admit that many Of us will be like the
Irishman's mule. We will nearly starYe
to death getting used to the new way
Of living, but when we do get right we
will be case hardened, tried and true.
According to my honest opinion II
what has been done and said concern
ing reduction Of cotton acreage had on
the other hand been said and done to-
ward the increasing and enforcing OF
larger acreage being planted to food
stuffs and put into law and practiced
many years ago, this hard time situa-
tion would not be confronting us to-
day. 1t Is up to us now while 1t Is yet
seed time to be putting in plenty Of
wheat and oats for our own use re-.
gardless Of what the other fellow does.
Don't pay attention to everybody and
anybody-let him make you believe
there will be too much oats and wheat
raised. There is one thing certain: II
there is too much raised we can find
something that can eat II and II there
is too much cotton we can't find liv-
ing animal that Is fool enough to eat
It, and get 1t off Of our hands at a
profit.
I find on my rounds and travels that
there Is a great deal Of sowing being
done; but in many cases find that the
people are not sowing, but seem to be
waiting to see how much the other fell
low is going to SOW so that he can go
ahead and plant enough cotton to make
up for what his neighbor has sown
down.
II we will go ahead and raise enough
foodstuffs to do US and then some cot
ton, we can better afford to take &C for
what cotton we do raise than to try to
raise all cotton on a 12c basis, and
then have to take &C.
The state fair exhibits this year
were all clear cut demonstrations OF
living at home and boarding at the
same place, and l never saw people
more keenly interested In the living
at home idea than were the visitors at
the fair. The slogan Of almost all OF
the county exhibits were diversified
ton, soil building by use Of legumin-
Gus crops"
Cut your fertilizer bill, raise more
home supplies and kill king cotton down
to the extent that we make him sur
plus crop"
Now, brother farmer, II we will go
ahead and prepare to meet the situa-
ton I feel sure that we will find less
trouble finding credit than will the fell
low that goes up and tells the mer-
chant or banker that he is going to
plant all cotton. II you will notice.
have said very little about hogs and
cattle, but IL we raise plenty Of corn,
oats and wheat the hogs and cattle and
livestock Of all kinds will find their
place. Now, what have said has been
said not in a criticising spirit, and In
case 1 have said anything amiss l
would like to hear from someone else
who will correct my weak point in a
forcible, good -humored way that will
benefit the public as we'll as myself.
Let me say in conclusion IL we do have
to give up, let's all die together pulling
and pushing and not kicking and pull
ing back. j. K. Blair.