The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1918-02-14
To Farmers and Merchants.

the welfare OF our county | want to
say few words along the line Of my
friend McMaster's article, in The
Vidette of last week.
If we would conform to the ideas
and advice contained in that letter,
we will be in better shape Dec.
1918 than ever before in on
lives. We must all pull together or
else we will all fall in the ditch to-
gether, one or the other is bound to
happen. Don't let us let this thirty
cent cotton run us wild, stop and
think, for now is the time to think.
Be very careful; get it before your
mind at this time as we can't cor
rect it later.
We are in this war and it is up to
us to feed our boys who are over on
the other side fighting our battles.
After this is done, if we have any
food left we can use it. Ii we plant
corn, peas, potatoes and sorghum
we can live off this and send some
to the boys Over there" besides
Cotton wont feed our boys, as ii
only sells for money and we can't
eat money Even if there is just
enough foodstuff raised to feed our
boys and the allied nations it is
bound to go that way and we won't
be any better off no matter how
much cotton we raise. Let's every
body fall in line and grow food stuff
to supply our armies. Don't wait
till April to study this matter over;
begin to fix your gardens to plant
Irish potatoes, mustard, onions and
peas. Set three or four hens at
once so as to begin to realize the
effects in sixty days from now.
Stay away from the stores and
prepare your ground for planting this
stuff haul out your barn yard manure
and clean up all the ground you can
possibly cultivate. See that your
pigs get what they need to eat and
prepare in every to meet the crisis
that is confronting us.
We merchants are always glad to
see man come in our place if he is
model farmer, for we know when
this kind of a man comes to town
that he has money to pay for what
he is wanting He is like the old
saying, He can sight us" as he
has with him his products to sell.
1t makes no difference what we
are worth or the kind of clothes we
have been accustomed to wearing.
: pull them off, go to the lot with
your overalls on and with a deter
, !
, mined resolution to grow what we
live on and a large portion to ship
to the allied countries.
Don't go to town six days in each
, week and sit around and discuss
the mistakes that others make.
Keep working all the time and don't
stop until you can answer yes" to
the man who asks you if yon have
and food stuff to sell. Let me beg
of you that you make up your mind
about this now. Don't wait till too
: late and then say you are not able
to make a crop, for if you do no
e man is going to help you pray after
/ the devil catches you.
y Please study these matters over
- carefully and prayerfully and see
what you want to do. One other
i thing | want to say to the people of
this county is, to get in touch with
: the county demonstration and ask
him for advice. He has been in my
} home and | am sure that he helped
me. | farm myself and he gave
II me good advice about how to i'm
prove my method of farming. Don't
; plant but one or two acres in cotton
but fertilize your land and spread
: yourself on the food products.
. Don't hang around a sawmil
eight hours a day when you can
make more bread at home on the
farm in four hours. Study this mat
ter over and let's hear from you all.
am not in the war but | am in
$ this farm product growing to help
win the war, for well know that
my boys will have to eat if they do
my fighting and my heart and soul
are in this to win.
= W. s. STEPHENS.