The Harrison times., 1915-10-16
LITTLE ROCK LETTER.

nal organization that should be a.
dopted by every citizen of the state.
1t is one of the planks in the plat
form of those who are promoting
the Home Products Show that is to
be held in Little Rock, at the Arcade
Market, October 27-30.
Until this policy has been adopted
by the Arkansas consumer the Ark
ansas producer cannot achieve the
prosperity which he has earned.
Diversi6caton is an accomplished
fact, but profitable marketing of the
products of diversified farming is yet
to be provided. Unless this is speed
lily done, the pendulum will swing
backward to the tyranny of the
one-crop system. With cotton
selling around IA cents now and
threatening to 60 to is cents or
higher, this would not be at all
difficult.
All the varied interests that have
been concerned in the institution Of
the New Agriculture in Arkansas
are united in an effort to make the
Home Products Exposition, great,
outstanding success.
The Importance of a movement
Of this kind is emphasized by the
following peculiarly candid letter,
addressed to Commissioner John H.
Page, by George c. Payne, Secretary
of the Drew Comfy Truck Growers
Association:
II have gotten myself in trouble
by advising my people to diversity
their crops, and succeeded in doing
so. Now cotton is in demand at
high prices, and all other crops dead
on our hands. We now have on
hand at least hundred car loads of
very fine sweet potatoes and could
not sell them at 10 cents bushel If
we ship. The railroads and COM
mission merchants seem to think we
are their slaves; they get theirs and
we get nothing. For instance, we
shipped a car of Irish potatoes in
June the freight was $104, ard COM
missions 10 per cent, and we got So
for the car. How is this for diversi-
hcation? | have two car loads of
sweet potatoes and if you know of
any way can dispose of them, |
would certainly thank you. This is
a condition that certainly presented
a poser for the Department. 1t was
a condition that required something
more than theories for its solution.
In answering Mr.. Payne's inquiries,
Mr.. Page said he had taken it up
with several parties, and added;
1T is regretable that conditions
are as they are in some sections. 1t
should not properly be laid to the
door Of any man or set of men but
| should be accredited to our system
and the completely disorganized
condition of affairs generally If the
price of cotton and other contingen-
cies had not forced decrease in the
cotton acreage this year we would
again have a crop of Improbable
cotton and, too, without the great
supply of food-stuffs that we have
now with a good price for cotton.
The system of marketing that our
farmers are compelled to face in the
disposal of perishable goods is the
real reason for the depression now
over those crops and not because
too many have been raised, Sweet
potatoes, for instance, are selling
to the consumers in Little Rock for
about 81 per bushel, and in my
opinion there are markets without
any sweet. potatoes. There have
been increases in acreage and pro-
duction, too, for that matter, but
the demand has not been met yet, If
we could only market our crops as
they should be marketed and at a
fair price to the grower Some
time in the future | hope the crop en-
thusiasts and legislatures and Con-
gress and other farmers friends will
see the real cause Of the one crop
system in the South, and this is up.
profitable marketing and unsatis,
factory methods to the farmer"
That there should be a condition
of increasing prosperity in the state
Notwithstanding these adverse con-
ditions is proofof the adaptability
of the state. Should conditions be
made more advantageous, and the
farmer be enabled to dispose of all
his varied products at a fair price,
insuring living return on labor and
money invested, the Arkansas farm
er should be the most prosperous
citizen of the whole country.
4