Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-09-28


kets and Il would be an easy matter 10
establish great consuming centers Tor
these crops If the business men TOOK
this matter in hand and exploited the
possibilities of these food materials as
has heen done so acceptably in the
case of cotton seed and peanut OIL
6. Educational forces, such as the
State College of Agriculture and its
county agents. could promote DIVERSE
fication with great rapidity in Georgia
and aid I'm the early solution of the
present food problem If the business
men would clear the decks for action
and would say to such institutions 10
and tell the farmers 20 grow the various
kinds of food needed and we viii find
acceptable markets for the same AT
the present time the educational char
acter of work they are called on to per-
form separates them in a measure from
the marketing end OF the proposition
which is strictly a business question.
Unfortunately business men have not
been as aggressive or interested in this
line of work in the past as they should
have been. Hence the efforts or our
AGRICULTURAL college TO promote diver
sffication have often been nullified to
considerable degree. Remove the pres
ent handicap from our agricultural col
lege workers and they can perform
service work of the utmost imptortancs
in the present crisis and get almost i'm
mediate results.
Z. II has ben frequently asked why
we fail to diversity and why greater
progress has not been made in this d.
rection. The reasons are briefly:
/. On account of the cotton ware
house system which permits of the
handling of one crop only.
2. On account of the restricted cred
ii which now exists combining the farm
er's effort largely to the growth of one
crop.
8. The small capital which the aver
age farmer possesses which effectually
prevents him from branching out into
new fields.
4. The large per cent of tenant farm
ers who do not think for themselves
so long as they are making a living.
5. The failure to handle diversified
crops probably which has been the ex-
perience Of hundreds of growers. owing
to the fact that our market facilities
are not properly organized,
BUILDING OF THE HOME CON-
MUNITY.
The effect of the present plan on our
development of local enterprises and to
cause the agricultural lands in the vi
cinity Of the same to tend to deterior-
ate in value while thousands of acres
lie idle and unproductive. AS a result
the rural population has not increased
or built up as IL should. The city has
not been furnished with cheap and
varied food supplies. and so industries
have not sought to locate in such CEN
tiers. Moreover, the business men have
failed TO take on the varied lines of
activity which the community would
have enabled them to prosecute with
success and advantage. Hence many
opportunities for the development of
the city and the community along food
production and dissemination lines have
been lost. This accounts in large meas
ure for the fact that 100000 worth
of food was Imported Into Georgia last
year. There aFe- those who hold that
this has gone chiefly TO the country,
but in this respect they are mistaken A
large part of this food supply Is of the
most fancy character and is of a type
and quality which seldom finds its way
into the rural home. The people con-
Stunning this kind of food live essential
ly in the cities. and 1t is certainly true
that at least As to so per cent of this
Ter class of our people in our towns
and cities. The farmer is buying hay
and grain and other foodstuffs which
come from the middle west and for this
practice he can only be condemned in
view OF the climatic and soil conditions
prevailing in Georgia, but to saddle the
sole responsibility of the present food
situation on the farmer is unjust and
without foundation in fact.
HOW A MARKET HELPS DIVERSIFI-
CATION.
Whenever the business man wakes up
to his duty and his responsibility and
finds a market for diversified crops we
will vary and increase our food crops
to the point where Georgia will easily
become self-sustaining. Illustrations Of
this within the state are not difficult
to find. When the boil weevil struck
southwest Georgia and the mill men
offered the farmers a fair price for pea
nuts they Immediately responded, and
this year an enormous acreage will be
planted. When IL was found out that
velvet beans could be grown in corn
and several bushels of valuable food
obtained per acre without injuring or
minimizigins the production of corn. the
farmers Immediately responded. When
the Moultrie packing plant was started
gia, as shown by the fact that the num-
be- of hogs has increased by $780, 900
head in the last six years. or 237,0O
head in 1916. Since the cattle tick was
eradicated from certain parts of the
state there has been a tendency on the
part Of the farmers to bring in pure
bred live stock, thereby raising the
standard and quality of the meat sup
ply Since one railroad in Georgia at
tempted to aid in the marketing of can
taloupes, there has been a decided in
crease in acreage and character of the
melons grown until this industry has
now assumed considerable proportions.
Since the Georgia Fruit Exchange
showed that IT could handle and market
peaches TO advantage, the peach indus
try took on new life. Since the farmers
along certain railroads in Georgia were
assured that sweet potato warehouses
would be built this fall they have plant
ed a greatly increased acreage to this
crop.
THE RETENTION OF THE AFTER
BIRTH IN COWS.
J.E. w, Brewton. Ala. writes l have
a COW with her second calf With the first
calf she did not pass the afterbirth for
month and she seems 20 be in the same
fix again. ordinarily she gives about three
gallons Of milk a day, but is now giving