The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-03-06

v
An agricultural program for the
Southern States for the year 1913
must be carefully considered by the
/ Federal Government, by the States,
counties. communities, and individual
farmers. Any program would fal.
short of the ideal which did not fu,,y
propose to sustain our general scheme
OF agriculture. support our people.
and at the same time contribute in
the largest possible degree to the real
Leeds Of our nation. 1t must be n
possible, a practical. and a patriotic
program.
During the past few years there has
been a direct and positive tendency i'm
Southern agriculture away from de-.
pendence on one crop and toward a
better balanced husbandry. This is
indicated by the Increased production n
of corn, small grains. velvet beans,
peanuts. hay potatoes, and othsr
crops and the somewhat stabilized
production of cotton event. in the face
of advancing prices. II is also evil
Gent TO even the casual observer that
southern farmers are going into tho
livestock industry" Especially are
they increasing the output of hogs,
beef cattle and dairy products. Large
packing interests would not be build
ing packing houses in the South
were this not true.
The department of agriculture an
nounoed n program for agricultural
production, beginning in the fan OF
1917. This program consists essen
TALLY OF the following elements:
(a) Each community should pro
duce it's own food and feed so far as
practicable.
OBJ Production Of non -perishabk
staples should be increased beyond To-
cal needs in each locality in which
they can be produced most prohtably
These staples include wheat, rye.
hcans. and rice; oats. barley, sor-
ghum. corn, and buckwheat being left
for consideration In the spring OF
1918.
(c) Sugar-beet and sugar. cane
production should be increased in dis
tricts where factories are accessibie
and production conditions are favor
able.
Cd Commercial production of per-
ishabIes should be increased above
normal only as the facilities for trans
portation and marketing are assured
The home vegetable garden should be
encouraged to the extent Of supplyin;
as fully as possible the needs of the
family growing 1t.
Likewise. the department has an
nounced that sound crop practices
ought to be continued; that definite
crop rotations should not be serious.
ly disturbed, and that all wcll-estab
lished agricultural practices should be
carefully safeguarded I'm every way
The department will. from time to
time. through the proper channels
make announcements regarding its az
ricultural program Of production, an
when announced, this program should
be followed as definitely as the SOL
diers follow an outlined plan Of cam
fDn t,x arx1&
Safe Farming.
The writer has long advocated u
system for Southern farmers, which
we have called safe farming. BY safe
farming we mean a system which pro-
vides food for the people and feed TO,
the livestock of the South which
maintains our soil fertility and then
devotes reasonable acreage to the
production of cash crops to be sold in
the markets OF the world.
Safe farming prcsumes an income
for the farmer not from one crop bu;
dependent upon a number Of we'll
chosen products of the farm, live
stock rs well as crops, making a bet
ter balanced agriculture. O safer
system. and better rural life. am
firmly convinced that the farmers oi
the South ought to change as they
have changed in the past few years
until they reach a substantial basis
which l have endeavored to describe
as safe farming.
"A better balanced husbandry as
well as high prices Of farm products
during the past few years have made
Southern farmers more money than
they ever made before. A taste of
prosperity from a combination Of
these two things should prompt us