The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-04-25

1911 mOffudl.
4
Whst are the State farms near Ha
goed doing to further the food pre-
paredness campaign? Are they plant.
he cotton az extensively as ever? II
- imposible for State officials to con-
tTol the cotton acreage on lands own.
- and farfned by ndividuals-they
can only advise-but they can contro
the farming methods practiced on the
Seats farms. 1t appears to .hs writer.
who - being urged by State officials
ana the State Committee Of Civic
Preparedness to use all possible in.
nuenco that ne possesses as a news
paper man to induce the readers of
this paper to plant less cotton and
more corn and other food crops. that
the State Farms should be used as an
object lesson for all the State in the
ail-food crop campaign. We are be-
ing told. and believe 1t. that there
viii be dreadful shortage of food in
south Carolina next year. and un-
der existing conditions corn and 9TH
or food crops are more profitable and
wiz bring In more money. acre for
acre. than cotton. that every aero
that will grow corn successfully
should be planted In corn immediate
~; therefore II seems that the logical
thing for the penitentiary authorities
to do Is to plant every acre on the
state Farms In corn. III they have al
ready planted a large part OF the
land In cotton. let them plow II up ana
plant corn. or at least adopt the AZ
drich plan, planting alternately two
rows Of corn and two rows OF cotton
For our part. however. we favor the
planting Of every foot of the State
Farms In food crops. even IL 1t
necessary to plow up thousand
acres Of cotton.
"o n"'o oohore w ietter from
wholesale grocer to local merchant
which says:
we have yours of the 18th
: Inst. ordering a barrel of molasses
at 81 cents. We are sorry that
we cannot all your order. This
stock sold In New York Monday
Mt so cents per gallon. We had
quite block OF II up there and
1t can be easily sold for that mon
ey. this OF course gocs for ex-
port TO England and the Scandl-
navian countries OF course all
stocks like this have overdoubled
I'm price since we sold YOU March
3rd."
This means that molasses Is gettins
= so high In price and so scarce that
the average man will not be able TO
have IL on his table. The remedy is
to plant amber cane and make ali the
molasses that Sumter county people
will need next year.
Rice has been the cheapest cereal
on the market during the past year.
but II In now advancing in price ana
will go higher and higher as whea
and corn advance. Wheat has ad
vanced to s247 a bushel and tn,
price OF corn today Is sI.sS per bush.
ell in carload lots delivered at the dc.
pot I'm this city. These prices seen
high. but before this years crop I,
harvested the prices will seem chcar
I'm compa rison: and next spring ant
summer. unless the South raises NOR,
corn this year than anyone evci
imagined the South could produce
tho price OF wheat, corn. rice and ev
cry other food grcin will be so hisl
that famine will stalk abroad In thc
land. The man who has land an'
does not plant II In food producing
crops Is flying I'm the face of provi
dence. Pant all the corn possible OF
land suited to- II. plant rice. where
rice will do well. and plant peas
sweet potatoes and amber cane In al
the odd patches.