The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-01-21


take banked potatoes for shipping
Thomas of Cades. who made 4 prof.
on four acres Of potatoes last year 0.
S1.216.17. Mr. Thomas kept accurate
accounts of his expenditures and re
ceipts and his figures are on record
at Clemson college.
Cr1rmunity storage Louise sl:"ald
be located on the railroad but lndi-
vidual houses would be profitable on
the farm if made to hold five hundred
to :, thousand bushels. Ee stated thai,
curing the potatoes caused loss Of
appreciable loss in bulk. and as they
are sold by the bushel there was nc
money loss in curing. Experience.
had proven that to make potatoes
profitable and readily marketed crop
the people Of county should all
plant one variety. The Porto Rico
is the most prolific and the most pop
ular on the market, therefore the va
variety to be preferred in this sec
ton. The Nancy Hall is q good po-
tato but not as profitable as the Por-
to Rico.
Mr.. Fred L. Harkcy, State Market
ing Agent, United $ States Depart
n1ent of Agriculture, made an inter-
esting and instructive talk on mar
keting. He said that marketing has
been and is a question which has been
difficult of solution, and many farm
ers have been heard to exclaim that
it would be to no advantage to plant
peanuts, potatoes and the like, If no
way could be found to sell them. at
profit. Mr.. Harkey assured the
farmers present at the meeting today
that "a market could be found pro-
vided the game was played. right.
Southern sweet potatoes were growing
in favor in the North, and that IL
farmers would offer them in car lots,
properly. graded and cured, and taken
from appoved storage warehouses. he
guaranteed the market price for them
in almost. any quantity. He declaed
that the farmer must. look beyond his
local market, WHICH was quickly glut-
ted.
After discussing the marketing OF
sweet potatoes he took up, the culture
and marketing Of peanuts. He said
that the peanut industry is still in its
infancy. This season they have been
selling from $500 to $225s ton, and
all the crop, practically, is being tax
en- by shelters; the oil mills being al
most out OF the market as they find
that they cannot crush peanuts prof.
tably when the price exceeds $125
ton. Nevertheless the peanut is
profitable crop for this section and
should have place in the crop rota-
ton to be practiced. The production
of peanuts averages less than a ton
to the acre, although the yield is
frequently much greater on good land.
Prof. Lewis made an interesting ta1k
on live stock and stressed the point
that all the crops advocated by the
previous speakers were classed as
soil robbing crops. as they were TAX
en- off the land. Consequently to main
tain and increase the productivity OF
our lands it is absolutely necessary
to keep live stock. Live stock, prop
erly managed afforded a money crop
and the cheapest means of market
ing several other crops produced ON
the farm, while at the:sa time in
creasing the fertility OF the land. To
breed live stock profitably the farms
must ba under fence and permanent
pastures mast be established.s Hogs
cannot be. raised in a pen alta profit,
nor can cattle be made to pay their
way if they are kept in a lot and fed
on concentrates. Grazing must be
provided so that they can make their
own liting: Rape, rye, velvet beans,
corn and peas furnish profitable
grazing crops the greater part of the
year.
Mr.. I. c. Strauss, as the represen-
tative of the bankers of Sumter, was
requested by Mr.. McFadden 70 dis
cuss the question of rural credits, 8
matter in which all are interested.
Mr.. Strauss said in substance that
as a result of the two years OF unex-
ampled prosperity that this section
had enjoyed the banks as well as the
farmers were in better financial con-
dition than ever before. The major
ity of the farmers have money or
have had it-most of then have had
sufficient money. in these two years to
have paid off practically all their
debts and leave them surplus AS
. result of this condition the bank
ers would. when asked for loans not
only ask what the money would be
used, for, but the additional question,
What have you done with the money
you have had?" If the answer show
ed that the money had been used for
farm improvements or wise invest
ment, then there wohld be no diff
Guilty in finding the money to supply
the needs of customers, but if the
money has been wastefully squander-
ed then the bankers would have to be
very careful in extending credits, for
they are merely the custodians of the