Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-04-06

ana neither do l. What is the use OF
specti ating about conditions that no
II Oh can fathom?
Remember that in 1916 we had
peculiar year. We paid old debts out
of the high price of cotton-debts,
many of them contracted at time
when food and feed were much lower
in price, and this was true of the year
itself because the prices went up dur
ing the latter part of the year The
same condition roes not exist in 1917.
1t is true that the South has made
gerat progress in the production of
food and feed in the last ten years, and
it is true that We were more nearly
self-supporting in 1916 than in years
previous, but we have long way to go
before we can truly say that we are on
safe basis. From 1909 to 1916 the
production of cotton in the cotton
states increased Is per cent; the acre
age in corn increased % per cent and
production 80 per cent; acreage in
wheat 102 per cent and production 129
per cent; acreage in oats 81 per cent
and production LOG per cent; acreage
in hay SO per cent and production 65
per cent. The point l am trying to
make is that having gone this far on a
safe program are we to be turned back
because of the supposed high price of
cotton?
The retail credit price at which food
can be purchased measures the value
of your cotton under such system.
and not the cash market price at which
you can sell your cotton. The price of
salt or mess pork has increased 80
per cent; bacon more than so per cent.
snr ham, eggs, butter and lard prac
tically the same Corn, oats and hay.
on the average, have increased as
r1uch and more than cotton, while
Irish potatoes and flour have increased
more than 100 per cent. A $50 bale of
cotton at the present time will pur-
chase no more in the way of food than
a $50 bale would three years ago. Do
not be deceived, cotton is not high, and
the fact that it is II or IS cents per
POUND now should not be temptation
to the farmer to risk all on a large
acreage in cotton under present condi-
tons, whether the war comes or
whether we have peace, whether cotton
be high or low.
But you will say am going to urge
you to go into other things. In the
main my advice is to raise such things
as will enable you to live, to feed
your family and your livestock, with
some surplus to sell to the nearby cit
les an dtowns, but not to go into the
great business of raising food crops
for foreign markets. realize that our
market system for locally-grown food
crops has not yet been perfected. We
have a great deal of work to do along
that line.
Self-preservation as been said to be
the first law of nature, and, if so, the
first law of the South during the seas
on of 1917 ought to be to grow it's own
food, because that means self preserva
ton
BY Safe Farming l mean system of
farming which supports the family up
on the farm, provides ample forage
ard otrer feed for the livestock and
grows some crops for cash sale upon
the market. Here are the simple items
our our Safe Farming program:
The Safe Farming Program.
Il A home garden for every family
on the farm. From one-tenth to one
fourth acre, we'll located, well titled
and tended as carefully as any other
Gro pom the farm. planted in rotation
to time the vegetable crops so as to
rave a continuous supply for the
lt1ullty ldDlS do uldily ut-y III IhS
year as possible. To this should be
added one-fourth of an acre of pota-
toes, either Irish or sweet or both, to
be used as food for the family. An
acre of sorghum or sugar cane should
be produced to supply the family with
syrup if means can be found for grind
| ing the cane and making the syrup.
q Produce enough corn on each
farm to last the family and livestock
with certainty for one year, with lit
tie excess for safety.
1 g. Produce sufficient oats and other
small grain to supplement the corn as
food for one year with certainty, re-
Numbering that these small grains
conserve the soil in winter and provide
some grazing for livestock.
4. Produce the hay and forage
crops necessary to supply the live
stock on the farm for one year, with a
/ little excasS for Safatv NOT forgetting