The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-09-22

supplies needed on that farm, spells
and cver-increasing prosperity year
by year
We are going to be tempted next
spring to increase our acreage in cot
ton. You are going to be tempted to
do the same thing. It's the right time
for both of us to say now and keep
on saying it until next summer, Get
thee behind me, Satan"
This present crop, small as it is,
will bring more money into the south
that will stick in the farmers hands
than any other cotton crop ever made
Why?
Because there are less store debts,
less fertilizer bills, less crop mortga-
ees than ever before in recent years.
Because there is more corn, more
hay and forage, more peas, more
home canned fruits and vegetables,
more hogs, cattle and paultry than
was ever present before on southern
farms.
A feeling of prosperity is going to
be abroad and we have no doubt but
what focks of new automobiles will
be burning the wind up and down
country roads.
Most folks will say II cent cotton
or thercabouts made it. That's a lie.
Wherever real prosperity exists, it
will be due to home production of
food and grain supplies It will be
due to the fact that the farmer owns
his cotton when made instead of ow-
ing it to supply merchants as in the
past.
No man can afford to raise even Is
cent cotton and buy food and grain
supplies on credit next year. Flour,
meal, grain 49, practically everything
the cotton grower buys is sky high
and it is going to stay sky high for
the next year.
The drought and heat has played
hob with the grain crops north this
summer, and shortages of hundreds
of millions of bushels are reported.
If you doubt the full truth of this,
Just go up to the supply store next
time you are in town, and ask the
price of -four meal, corn, etc.
Southern farmers, as a whole, are
going to be better off this winter than
any time since the civil war. A lot
of them are going to lose their heads
and drop back into the old ways this
fall and next spring.
It's going to be easy to drop back,
for credit will be easy and supply
merchant. fertilizer dealer and coun-
try banker Cthe 10 to 20 per cent
kindD will welcome you with open
arms if you will only quit fooling with
oats, corn. hay, hogs, etc, and put
everything in cotton.
If YOU and your neighbors are fool.
ish enough to get shared up in this
old game, you are not worthy of hav-
ing any sympathy wasted on you.
Sensible farmers. under present
conditions. are going to be Just as
enthusiastic. just as energetic about
planting their acreage of oats, wheat
rye. rape. alfalfa etc. as they were
last fan or the fall before.
They are going to play safe, just
as they have been playing safe the
past two years. They have been get
ting on their feet financially and once
up they are gcing to stay up.
They are absolutely going to stay
out Of the "all" or nearly all" cot
ton game that brings loss to every
man that plays it,
It's time right now for every reader
of the Southern Ruralist in the cotton
belt to swear a mighty oath that he
won't plant single acre more in
cotton next year than he did last
spring
What would be still better would
be a reduction Of 10 to 25 per cent
for there are enough fools in the cot
ton belt who will increase to more
than make up for it and when the
slump comes. as it surely will. it will
be bread and meat that will be in
demand in your neighborhood.
H. oat tir,a wheat time rye time