The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-09
Far Reaching Advice Given to Farmers on Plans for
 Coming Season
DUTY TO RAISE ALL
 THINGS POSSIBLE
Letter Says Country Is Now Finan- cially Prepared to Meet Any Contingency Likely
 to Arise

sincation but he also believes that an excessive crop of cotton can scarce ly be produced during the coming sea son.
 He expressed his views fully in recent letter to the secretary of the Chamber of Commerce of Gastonia, N. O., brief summary of which has been carried in press dispatches. Complete copies of Governor Harding's letter re- ceived in Birmingham yesterday show the far-reaching nature of the advice the writer gives to the farmers of the south He maintains that the greatest service the farmers of the south can render this section of their country and the world in general is to coax from the soil during the year 1917 as great an abundance as possible of crops of all kinds. The statements are regarded of such importance that they are here given in full:
 "'Washington, February 5, 1917 MT. c. w. Roberts, Secretary Chamber of Commerce, Gastonia, N. G.:
 ''Mr Dear MT Roberts-It was with keen regret that felt obliged to tele- graph you this morning that I could not go to Gastonia tonight in order to be present at the most interesting occasion in your city tomorrow. q had looked forward with much pleasure to the privilege of meeting and addressing the merchants, farm CTS and bankers of the Carolinas, and was particularly anxious to avail my self of the opportunity of pointing out to them the very great value, espe- cially in times like the present, of the federal reserve system, which has en- abled the country to withstand with out the slightest financial tremor all of the shocks and sensations that It has experienced during the past two years, many of which would doubtless under old conditions, have been fol- lowed by serious consequences.
 "Our preparedness from a mill
 tary and naval TstandpOint is now
 enKrossing the attention of Con-
 grees and of the nation, but wish
 you would inform the audience
 which I expected to address that
 from financial standpoint the
 country is already fully prepared
 and is ready to meet any cOntin-
 sency that is likely to arise, so
 that there need be no uneasiness
 whatsoever on that score.
 T had desired particularly to say few words to the farmers by way of urging them not to become nervous or alarmed because of any threatened temporary interference with ocean transportation, I wished to point out to them that while in these fateful times, when 1t Is beyond human power to forecast even the immediate future, we should remember that, after all, the only real wealth comes from the soil
 RENEWED STRENGTH
 "A character in Greek mythology is Antaeus, of whom it is said that he could not be overcome in wrestling, for whenever he was brought to his knees he received renewed strength from his mother, Earth, and was en- abled thereby to arise in his might and overcome his adversary. Through out the world millions of men have been withdrawn from their ordinary avocations and are devoting them selves entirely to military duties.
 Tt seems to me it is clearly the duty of the farmers of the United States in the planting season fast ap- preaching to prepare for the largest crops of all kinds that it Is possible
 
 himself to single crop alone but he should diversity. with the idea of growing as far. as possible on his own land everything necessary for the sus- tenance of his family and of his do- mestic animals.
 "Three years have elapsed since
 our fertilizers have contained an
 adequate supply of potash. and un-
 der present conditions it is hard
 yv nRn m
 ply of the sOuth's greatest staple
 crop-cotton-can be produced.
 Virginia, North and South Caro- line, Georgia and Alabama are now great cotton manufacturing states anI their annual consumption of raw cot ton Is greater than that of England and greater than that of New England and Canada combined If the farmers of the south will practice diversifica- tion they need have no fear as to the price of cotton, for any conditions which will make exports of cotton im- possible will likewise render islprac- ticable exports of foodstuffs. It fol- lows, therefore, that if the price of cotton should decline the price of ce- reals, grain and hay Wll decline also.
 COTTON AT $1OO A BALE
 "A few weeks ago cotton was selling at s100 a bale and more. The College Of Agriculture or the University of Kansas pointed out at the time these prices were effective; that while cot ton had advanced in price it advanced merely in terms of gold, and it made an interesting comparison as to It's price in terms of other commodities It estimated the purchasing power of cot ton in an ordinary year and on the basis of $100 per bale. and it demon- strated satisfactorily that even at $100 per bale the southern cotton planter who had not planted in a manner 10 provide for him necessities in the way of foodstuffs was in a sorry plight for bale of cotton will buy in an average year with cotton at from $50 to $60 per bale
 s9 bushels potatoes at roc.
 750 pounds lard at Sc.
 22 bbls. of flour at $4.50.
 375 pounds bacon at 16c.
 tons hay at $10.
 30 pairs shoes at $2.
 720 yards cotton cloth.
 100 bushels corn at COG.
 And this year at $100 a bale it will buy:
 Al bushels potatoes at $2.25.
 555 pounds lard at 18c.
 10 bbls. flour at $10.
 333 pounds bacon at soc.
 5 tons hay at s20.
 20 pairs shoes at $5.
 66s yards cotton cloth.
 S3 bushels corn at $1.20.
 AVOID ANY SINGLE CROP
 The subject of nutrition has been reduced to A science and the import-