Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-02-16
Georgia Markets
For Georgia Products.

The MOultrie Observer notes the Significant
fact that nowadays one hardly pick up Geor-
ga newspaper without seeing that some county has
sold Is getting ready 10 sell carload more
of hogs cattIe CHANGING through few
changes. the Observer finds that Mitchell county
this season one railroad has handled twenty-seven
outgoing carloads OF hogs forty-sefen OF cows and
sixty-three of corn; that Grady county farmers
have sold eighf hundred thousand dollars worth
of hogs and are fattening cattle for market; that
Telfair county has marketed fifteen cars of live
stock and Is preparing 10 market ten or twelve
more, IhaI in the last few weeks six carloads OF
beef cattle and five cars of hogs have been shipped
from Albany. although up until this not
carload of hogs had been sold from Dougherty
county fifty years; that in the last few days six
cars of livestock have been shipped from Thomas
vile; thai Dawson, cambridge, Triton, VaIdosta,
CordeIe, Fitzgerald and virtually every other
South Georgia town has its story of big ship
ments of food animals and food crops; while in
Brooks county, 1.-The shipment of hogs has become
common that no more attention is given TO it
than to the shipment of cotton
This record is significant and cheering not only
as evidence that Georgia farmers are diversifying
more extensively than ever. but also as indica-
ton that home markets for Georgia-raised live
stock steadily developing. In comparatively
recent months packing plants representing az
gregate investment of several million dollars have
been established in this and neighboring States,
and number Of others are in prospect This
means that the inducemenr to raise livestock and
grain and forage is permanent. Heretofore many
planters have grown cotton TO the virtual exclu-
sion Of other products largely because of the
with which cotton could be marketed and convert
ed into cash A farmer could bring load of the
raw staple to town, place it in a warehouse and
with the warehouse RECEIPT get money credit
vii rrrTw ODD RwTn nrT1 he last So
very few Georgia towns afforded any such facili-
ties for marketing food crops. II a farmer raised
a large surplus Of potatoes. the chances they
would in his cellar. II he raised more hogs than
his own family needed more than could be sold
in his immediate district, the chances they
would become a liability rather than an asset.
With few exceptions, there well estab-
Hshed, convenient dependable whereby
Georgia-raised farm products other than cotton
could be disposed of. Yet, the people of Georgia
Spending millions upon millions of dollars in
distant regions for necessaries which their
State could produce in Overbrimming abundance.
The constructive change that is coming TO pass
in this respect is reflected in the following news
item from yesterdays Journal:
Rochelle Ga, Feb 172This county is
among the leading sections of south Georgia
when il comes to diversifcation- This week
Henry Mashburn, after supplying his farm,
sold to one man. 500 worth of fine hogs, and
recently J. P. Doster, another farmer of
Rochelle, sold $500 worth OF hogs raised on his
farm. Besides the large quantities disposed of
in this way, which amounts to thousands of
dollars, Wilcox farmers have their smokehouses
' and cold storage plants overlooking with meat
and lard"
The fact that Georgia farmer sell seven
hundred dollars worth of hogs in his district
is OF farreaching import to the States economic
weI-beng. because 1t shows that last substantial
and permanent inducements TO animal husbandry
and 20 diversified farming being provided. The
problem of food markets is not yet solved; the
principles OF diversifcation by no means yet as
widely practiced as they should be. But, at least
movement in the right direction is vigorously
under way.