The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1916-04-26
BIG COTTON YIELD WILL SPELL
DISASTER FOR FARMERS

Sound advice and solemn warning
are given to the farmers of the cot
ton belt in the following statement
Just issued by President Charles S.
Barrett, of the Farmers union:
To the Members of the Farmers I'm
ion and Farmers Generally
Throughout the Cotton States:
The other day I read from a re-
port that there are $4,000 farms in
Texas which have no cows, $4,000
which have no pigs, 10000 without
poultry, 306 farms that do not grow
pound of hay and 100000 that
raise no sweet potatoes. This state
ment is more than surprising-it is
appalling! If these are conditions
in Texas, one of the greatest of farm
ing states, they exist to as great or
a greater degree in the other cotton
growing states of the south.
There is the seat of our trouble
here in the south. Too many of US
are continuing to concentrate on one
product alone-cotton. AS long as
YOU keep on raising nothing but cot
ton and paying out your cotton mon
ey for forage and food and clothing,
instead of making your farm furnish
your living to you, you are never
going to get anywhere and the most
of the time you'll be in debt.
Right at this time, especially, I
want to caution you and warn you
against all-cotton crop this year. AS
sllre as .you continue to devote your
attention wholly to cotton this year,
you are going to come out at the lit
tie end of the horn. There is no
lodging it. You will remember
what happened in 1914, when the
European war began. You remem-
ber how it frightened you, how it
distressed you, how it left you with
scant rations because you failed to
make your food at home and had
nothing but low-priced cotton-not
enough to pay your debts.
Well, if you don't look out the
same sort of thing is going to hap
pen again. A big cotton crop this
year is going to spell the same sort
of disaster that you experienced in
1914, if not worse. The price is
down now, and is staying down. Just
you plant big crop and you'll see
it tumble lower still. Some millions
of bales of last years crop are still
being held because of present prices.
Suppose you should add another big
crop to this stock on hand, you
know very we'll what would happen,
and if you don't look out, it will hap
pen.
After the disaster of 1914 farmers
of the south planted more forage and
food crops than ever before, and
they began to raise more cows and
pigs. Those who were fortunate
enough to do that know how well
they profted by it; know that even
with the better price of cotton, they
would have hard time if they hadn't
done it.
The European war is not over;
there is no telling when it will end.
1t may go on for several years. Ger
tainly it will not end this year, and
probably not next. The German,
Austrian and Russian markets are
closed tight against your cotton; the
worlds consumption is reduced Dy
several million bales. How can you
hope for higher prices if you make
big crop? 1t is out of the ques-
ton.
But if you will 60 ahead and make
your own living at home, make some
food products to sell-for the world
has got to eat-you will come out all
right, no matter what happens to
cotton. Not only that, but with the
shorter crop, you will get your own
price for it, or at least come nearer
to it than you have ever done before.
Every one of these $4,000 farms,
these $4,000 farms, these 10000
farms, in Texas, should not only
have cows and pigs and poultry, but
they should grow their own grain and
forage and garden truck instead of
paying two prices for it in cheap cot
ton. This applies equally to condi-
tions in every cotton state in the
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