The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-03-13
M1lI, THE FARMERS LOSE.
). Harris OF Pcndlcton Says That Pro.
duccrs Can Make Money by Diyersi-
hcation. Organization and Cooper
ation,

fronting the farmers of this state,
and IL these conditions are ever to be
rtmedied. IL must he done by the
farmers themselves. Can they do IL ?
They can. How can il he done?
There are three commandments that
they will have to obey to accomplish
this result
The first one is the diversihcation
OF crops 50 as to make home self
supporting and selr-sustaining. Will
IL pay them TO do this? 1t will. Why?
Because they can raise their supplies
on their own farms for less than half
they have to pay when they buy
these things So ends the first COM
mandment. The second command
ment is organization and the third
one Is cooperation. Why do say
that the second one is organization?
Because IL is impossible to cooperate
without organization. Success can
not come to the masses OF the farm
ers without cooperation in selling
their products. Good business meth
od must be put into the selling end
of farm products.
Now let us see what the farmers
have lost this year by not observing
these three commandments which
they should have obeycd. First we
will take the cotton crop OF 1914, the
great money crop. We have made I'm
South Carolina practically 100000
bales of cotton in 1914. The cotton
that has been sold up 10 date has
been sold below. the cost Of produc-
tion. So there is nothing left for the
producer. Could these conditions
have been remedied? They could.
How? With n good warehouse sys-
tenn backed by the state OF South
lCarolina every distressed" bale of
cotton OF the crop of 1914 could have
been protected. and at least 1 cent
pound could have been added to the
value Of this cotton. amounting to
IS per bile. What would that have
added to the wealth OF South Caro-
lima? AT least s7,5o0.O0O. If the
present warehouse system had been
iinaugurated in time. this loss. or
nearly all of II. could have been saved
to the farmers Of this State. Would
not this have relieved the money
stringency OF South Carolina? Is 1t
not the duty of any State to protect
the great money crop. when she
would have nothing to lose and cv-
erything to gain? So much for Tie
loss on cotton.
Now. let us investigate the seed
proposition. think that we have
produced In this State about $50. 900
tons OF cotton seed and they have
gotten out of the hands OF the farm
ers at loss OF at least $500 per ton,
making loss TO the farmers of abou:
s4.550.o00. How can the farmers af
ford this loss? Could this have been
averted? 1t could. How? BY CO.
operation and good business manage
ment in the selling OF this product.
Now, as to the tobacco situation.
have been informed that we rails
ed 4O.OO0.0O0 pounds. i'm round num-
bers. in 1914. and that it did not sell
for cost of production. If have been
correctly informed. the North Caro-
lima tobacco growers sold their crop
OF 1914 for an average of cents n
pound more than the price realized by
the South Carolina tobacco farmers.
making a loss TO the tobacco grow
ers of South Carolina of S2,O0O.OOO.
Could this loss have been ayerted I?
II could. If the North Carolina farm
ers beat the South Carolina farmers
selling, it was just good business
methods put into their system of
marketing.
Tnis gives a total los, on cotton.
cotton seed. and tobacco of somethine
over Sl4.000.000. How can the
farmers Of the state stand such loss
es as the above? Can il he corrected?
1t certainly can. How? First, by oh.
serving the three commandments laid
down In the first part of this article,
and in the fourth place good State
warehouse system backed up by the
State of South Carolina. We have
now warehouse system recently in
augurated, which has already been
OF much benefit To the farmers of
the State. We must maintain and de-
velop this system in order to add to
the wealth of the state by saving the
loss on cotton above mentioned.
II is just about all that the ma
jority OF the farmers can do to pay
LhL Int