Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-02-13
5. E. ARKANSAS FARMERS SUFFER
 HEAVY LOSSES Floods Put Farmers Back on Credit Basis, When They
 Were About Clear.
DIVERSIFICATION
 OF CROPS WAY OUT
One Result of Disaster Will Be to Reduce Cotton Acreage. and Small Farmers Will Be Compelled
 to Grow Their Needs.

With enc vast sheet of water, cover iag the greater part of the area of 10 counties in Southeast Arkansas; with remarkably small loss of life so far reported; with a loss to build ings, livestock, seed, foodstuffs and farm implements estimated in the mill lions: conservative business men, I bankers and merchants, who are in touch with the situation are of the opinion that the greatest harm done by the flood of January February. 1916, will be to put the small land owner and the tenant farmer back on a credit basis, by wiping out of exist ence all the profits he had accumu lated because of the practice las, year of the farm diversification plans.
 The small farmer generally diversi- fled last year. He practiced the "liv ingat-home" idea. His cotton was all profit. With the proceeds of the cot ton. he paid his old debts. bought clothing and other necessities, and purchased new livestock, horses, mules, cattle and hogs. He saved enough seed to plant this year, and Ht DdU d SVOUIy Ol iilCul, ldl u, potatoes and canned fruits and vege- tables to get him started this year. without going in debt to the supply man.
 Farmers Hit Hard.
 With only a few exceptions, the flood waters have wiped all this out of existence. Thousands of head of horses, mules, cattle and hogs have been drowned or have starved to death on small patches of high ground remote from supplies of food. Houses and barns, with all their contents. were swept away by the raging floods. Cotton seed already scarce and of very great cost, and seed corn care fully selected. is gOne--that which was saved may be fit to feed to stock. but is ruined for planting purposes. Not only has the small planter and the tenant in the submerged area lost all the profits of his first year at in telligent diversification. but also has he lost everything else possessed by him.
 This is the most serious feature of the situation which faces the business men, the merchants and the bankers, as well as big and little planters and farmers at this time. Not only must the small farmers and the tenant be supplied with stock, seed and imple- ments, put his home must be rebuilt, food supplies must be furnished until some early edible crops can be grown, and he must be started again, from the very bottom. For three months, it is estimated, thousands of men, women and children must be fed and furnished with everything needed on the farm. Thousands of farmers who had made most excellent start to- ward financial independence. are again back on the old "'ruination" credit basis, and all the excellent results of a years campaign for and worK un- der the diversification plan have been lost.
 "Diyersify Crops" the Slogan.
 Leaders in the diversification pro paganda have all their Work to dc over again, and under ha1dicaps greater even than those which faced them when the first campaign to that end was started. Bankers and busl- ness men again must advance the money and the supplies, to get the
 
 farmers started once more. IEe start will he very hard, because so many more things must be furnished than have been furnished in the past Al way as farmer had some part Of ms necessary equipment; now thnusands of them have nothing whatever. no stock, no seed, no home, no tences around his place, no food supplies and in a big majority of instances not even clothes to wear.
 So far, there has been nothing done by the leaders in the diversl.icatloh campaign, because, there is nothing to beldoneIat;tais. .stime. ' The first work is that of, ressicuing the reiagees' 4and of;feaaibs those who are An9F.y . and s clqthing those who are virtually naked Rescue work. first1ronce this is com, plstsd, the work ofirsAabll'tat.on VII Y ]! be started. Then sthe' diverslilcatlon ists will become active. Iaey ais t.s J