Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-04-11
Clemson Agricultural journal

sure its successful production. On
the other hand, the land owner who
had not been accustomed to extend
ing credit to his tenants heretofore
nor supervising their labor, would
certainly not risk any money to
them when he would be so confident
that their cotton crops would be n
failure. Thus the tenant would be
caught between these upper and
neither millstones' without food and
supplies or means Of procuring them;
and he has no recourse--he must
either starve or leave the country.
Naturally he will do the latter, and
the community would lose a unit es-
sential to all wealth-a productive
laborer. 'Tis true that far-sighted
farmers have taken the necessary
precautions. and have produced prof
liable crops of cotton in the most
badly infested sections. These are
the exceptions, however, and not the
rule; but they are admirable exam
pies Of the fact that when a farmer
is properly prepared, the boil weevil
merely serves to stimulate the use
of better methods OF farming. And
the depopulated, poverty~stricken
God-forsaken areas, found in such
large numbers are of such large ex-
tents In our sister cotton-growing
NV ho Co
inhabitants of these areas to take the
necessary precautions to alleviate
the destruction Of the boil weevil;
should preach a sermon Oh "Agricul-
tural Preparedness which would
convince the most ignorant skeptic
In South Carolina to-day. that it is
absolutely essential to his future
welfare that he make immediate and
adequate provision for the inevitable
coming Of the boil weeyil into the
cotton fields of this State.
Since it is certain beyond a doubt
that the farmers of the State must
contend with the boil weevil, and
since it has wrought such havoc
wherever it has appeared, the ques-
tion logically arises, What should
be done?"
In ''The Boil Weevil Problem" by
B. l.. Moss, this statement is made,
ut is the sheerest folly to advocate
the elimination of cotton as the
great cash crop of the South. More
livestock, more feed and more soil
improving crops are urgently needed
in many parts of the cotton States,
but itsis idle to argue that livestock
production should generally supplant
the production Of cotton. Nature
has given the South practical mo-
nopoly on this crop, and the demand
is SO rapidly broadening that before
many years have passed a 20,n00,-
000-bale crop will be easily absorb
ed Then the method OF produc-
ing cotton under boil weevil, condi-
tions Is Of primary Importance to
the farmer who is now growing cot
ton. The first essential in such pro-
duction is the unshakable belief that
it can be done, and the remaining
steps are comparatively easy when
this State Of mind Is reached. It is
true that the Southern States are
strewn with farmers who have failed
on account Of the boil weevil, but in
nearly every section some one has
grown cotton successfully; and these
few men have inspired confidence in
their doubling neighbor, and caused
the community to return to normal
prosperity after a time. Closely al
lied with confidence is credit. With
out confidence there Is no credit, and
without credit there would be no
crops produced in large number Of
cases. No surer method of bringing
on panic, decentralization of busi-
ness, and loss Of crops could be de-
vised than the complete withdrawal
Of credit when the weevil appears.
The hearty cooperation of the farm
ers, merchants and bankers should
be affected SO that each would mu-
tually prevent the other from suf-
fering SO seriously as he might.
Credit to limited amount should
still be extended, but with the ex7
press stipulationns that the proper
methods Of crop production will be
practiced. If the credit is reduced
gradually, by the time the boil wee
vii affects us seriously the mer-
chants will be safe even then in eX-
tending some credit 1t is very prob